Girls und Odyssey
by SeekerMeeker
Summary: When a mysterious US experiment went wrong, Miho and her friends did not expect their tank to be affected. To make matters worse, it teleported them to the US! Hilarity ensues, as the girls not only try to return home, but also learn about this mysterious world called the US. [Girls und Panzer belongs to Actas.] Rated T for potentially sensitive topics in the future.
1. Chapter 1: The Double Discovery

**Greetings from SeekerMeeker! If you have been here before, I have updated this chapter! If not, then I hope you are more than welcome to my latest project! For everyone who has reviewed and liked my stories in the past, thank you so much! I give a shoutout to Inceptor57 for helping me greatly with all your support! Well then, panzer vor!**

 **[On a side note, I have updated this chapter so many times that I hope that I am not going to update it anytime soon, other than a serious grammatical error or something that I must revise and edit. I hope I can go on with the next chapter. But I do it because I care. It is meant to be a quality story, and I hope to keep it that way.]**

* * *

 **Girls und Odyssey**

 **Chapter 1: The Double Discovery**

 **June 21, 20XX**

 **9:00PM Wednesday, Eastern Standard Time**

 **Washington D. C.: The White House**

"Mr. President."

"Yes?"

"I have an urgent report from the FBI-wait, ahem! I mean, I received a classified message from the Area 51."

"Yes-wait, Area 51? What are they up to now? I know some, but it is mostly hidden even from me."

"Yes, but this time, they need your help."

"But what _exactly_ do they want me to do?"

"They admit that one of their experiments . . . Well, how can I say this? Let's just say that a freak accident happened, no one got killed, but something went off."

"Why haven't I heard this? And why am I hearing this now?"

"You know Area 51. It's top-secret even from you."

"And why?"

"Something to do with Tankery that you and many Americans have officially voted to terminate years ago."

"What does that have to do with terrorism and ISIS and homeland security?"

"A lot more than you expect."

"What do you mean?"

"I cannot say more. They're going to give a little bit of information, directly from Area 51, and they want you to come secretly . . ."

* * *

 **June XX, 20XX (all except month CLASSIFIED)**

 **11:00 PM Thursday, CLASSIFIED**

 **CLASSIFIED LOCATION**

"Welcome to the drop zone, Mr. President."

"So, we're in the-"

"Shush! Mr. President!"

"Sorry."

"Ahem! Here they come!"

"Greetings, Mr. President. I am one of the directors of the classified Project Portal."

"Project Portal . . . What is it? Part of the Area 51?"

"Classified, but a secret weapon that mysteriously detonated, but yes, it's in Area 51."

"And?"

"And the power is not gone, but disappeared somewhere. Our scientists have not been able to get it back."

"Do you have a way to find it, and how did this happen in the first place?"

"All classified, President. But one thing is for sure; we have to improve our relations with East Asia."

"Which part of East Asia? And why there?"

"All of them, just in case, because the 'power' that we're looking for is somewhere there."

"Huh, so China or Korea or Japan has this 'power,' but it's easier said than done to find it."

"Very correct, but we have found something we can pinpoint. We know what to find; you just need to find the nation that has this point."

"What do you mean?"

"This is all we'll say, based on the Eastern Standard Time, the 'point' will flash from this special device. You will wear this at all times; it will show up at this exact date. Remember: the date only shows the Eastern Standard Time from your White House area."

"And it says . . ."

"Hold it there, President. You cannot say it right now, but you can see that it's set in the Eastern Standard Time. Which means that you have to convert it into one of the time zones in East Asia. However, only on that day will we find out, or earlier."

"Huh, I wonder what you guys are up to. But please: exactly explain what I need to find."

"It is unfortunately top-secret, even for you. But let's just say that we have a weapon on the loose . . ."

* * *

 **At the same time, except by Japanese Standard Time**

 **Somewhere off the coast of Tokyo . . .**

 **Ooarai High School carrier**

"President . . ."

"What, Kawashima?"

"I've been wondering about the graduation . . ."

"Don't even mention it!"

"Ah, Momo-chan, you're crying."

"I AM NOT!"

A few desks and piles of paper on them filled much of the floor of the well-lit office, where the Student Council worked tirelessly for the sake of the whole school. Well, not all of them.

"President," said a buxom, pretty girl with dark brown hair tied in a ponytail. She was working fervently to finish signing a pile of paper as high as a toddler in front of her.

"President," she said again. "When will you work hard for once?"

"Oh, not yet," the petite redhead (reddish-brown, to be more precise) with twin ponytails answered. She kept pushing herself back and forth in her chair, playing around. "It's such a long day."

"Not exactly long," retorted a girl with short black hair. A single eyeglass framed her right black eye. She, however, was checking another pile, glaring at the manuscripts after manuscripts.

She growled.

"Too much paperwork!" she roared, flying into a rage, forgetting that she was holding a few of them. They floated in the air as a result.

"Hang in there, Momo Kawashima," the redhead told her warmly, sitting properly in the chair.

"Hang in there my butt," Momo retorted, reaching down to pick up the remains. "I am too stressed out already!"

"Eh?" the ponytailed girl joined in. "I am stressed out, too. It's just that you're more vocal about it."

"Argh!" Momo roared. "I-I can't stand it!"

"Why don't you just sit back," said the President, reclining in her seat, sighing. "And relax?"

"You relax," Momo retorted back. "I will just go and deal with these shenanigans!"

The President simply shrugged, and reached out for her bag of dried sweet potatoes. She rummaged in it, and raised an eyebrow.

"Odd," she said. "I thought I had another piece or so in there."

"President Anzu Kadotani!" Momo roared, causing her eyeglass to hang by her ear. She quickly fixed it, blushing.

"Ah, I understand," Anzu said, sighing as she reclined in her chair, and smiled back at her old friend. "It's too early for a piece."

"Not that!" the same girl screamed. "It's just that it's business as usual again!"

"After winning back our school," Anzu remarked. "Twice."

Everybody in the room sighed in relief. They knew they did the unthinkable. First, their school won the 63rd Senshado championship in Japan. Second, when the MEXT official renegaded on his promise, their school had to win a lopsided battle that was a close-call victory, allowing the school to remain open, twice. Now, it was indeed business as usual again.

Anzu reached into her empty bag again, forgetting that there was nothing in it. Realizing that, she shrugged and threw an "imaginary piece" into her mouth, and pretended to chew something. Momo stared at her and sighed, while the ponytailed girl giggled in the background.

"Oh, President and Momo-chan," she continued to giggle. "You two are lively today."

"Well! With all the paperwork and shenanigans, it's a lot!" Momo roared. "And stop calling me 'Momo-chan,' for crying out loud!"

Anzu smirked.

"Yuzu," she said to the ponytailed girl. "This Momo of our girl needs some break, doesn't she? Right, Miss-chan?"

"Thank you-wait, NOT YOU TOO, PREZ!"

Anzu and Yuzu both giggled, watching their own PR manager grind her teeth in frustration.

"Argh!" she roared, as she slammed her pile of paperwork. Some sheets flew in the air, again.

"Ah, Kawashima," Anzu said, reclining in her chair with a sleepy voice. "Calm down. We have plenty of . . ."

Anzu suddenly became silent, staring at something.

"Prez?" Yuzu asked.

Yuzu and Momo stared at their president. The petite girl slowly stood up, leaving her comfortable chair behind. It groaned as she left it, wishing her to come back. She stared like a hawk at something on the ground, then crouched down. Yuzu and Momo stared at their own president's strange and sudden change in behavior.

"Prez . . ." Yuzu started to whisper, but Anzu put her finger to her mouth to hush her vice president. Anzu then looked back, and pounced on something like a cat. Grinning in victory, she lifted up her prize.

Yuzu and Momo both stared at her in disbelief. Their own president just caught . . . a piece of dried sweet potato.

"President . . ." Yuzu groaned.

"Another day," Momo grunted.

"And a piece for me!" Anzu cried in victory.

"Is that even edible?" Yuzu questioned. "I mean, you did intend to eat it, don't you?"

"Actually," Anzu said, dropping the piece into a trash can. "No."

Both girls stared at their own president.

"No?" asked Momo.

"I want some fun," she answered. "Pretending to be a cat was some fun, after all."

Her own friends sighed at their president's childish antics.

"But for something serious," she replied, her tone suddenly changing. Yuzu and Momo both flinched; they knew that if she became serious, she meant business.

"I found these papers," she answered, picking them up. "The piece was on top of the five sheets. At first, I intend to think about washing the piece, but these sure interested me more."

"What are they?" asked Momo, fixing her monocle. Yuzu took the papers, and the two read them. Both gasped.

"Aren't these . . ." Yuzu stammered.

"Wow," said Momo, whistling. "You have some insight there."

"Right?" Anzu replied, grinning ear-to-ear. "It was no accident that we found them. We know what to do next."

"Huh?" asked her two friends.

"Call them in," said Anzu. "Tell them that the Student Council has an urgent meeting with them."

"I will!" said Momo, clearing her throat. "I'll call in her alone and-"

"No, no," Anzu corrected her. "Bring all five of them."

"All five of them?" the other two stuttered.

"Miho and her whole team," said Anzu. "No questions asked."

Yuzu and Momo both stared at her, then at each other. Yuzu silently nodded at her, and the two quickly left the office.

Anzu watched them go. Once they were gone and out of earshot, she stretched out her body, reclining back into her seat. The chair sighed in relief, her body against its soft cushion layers. Anzu put her hands behind her head like a pillow, and looked up at the sky.

"Another sunrise," she whistled. "Miho Nishizumi, what will you do next? Or more precisely, what will you _be_ next?"

* * *

 **So, this is actually a combination of two chapters. Originally, the first part was the US government's side, secretly trying to find this "Project Portal." The second part is the Student Council discovering "five sheets" that are somehow apparently crucial. These two points will collide together in some way or another, which is why I decided to fuse them together into a single chapter. Anyway, stay tuned for more! Panzer vor!**

 **So, on the next chapter, the mystery of the "five sheets" and even the "Project Portal" will be solved (but a little bit with the latter). And yes, there will be tanks, but bear with me; I only know a little about military tanks. I know more about America (hint for the story!) than tanks, but stay tuned!**

 **Side update: I decide to change the date from "April" to "June." I later learned that the Japanese start their summer break on June 20, so I changed the date to that, in order to be consistent. Furthermore, by putting them at this time, they can avoid missing out on school; I am no fan of missing out on school, even in fiction.**


	2. Chapter 2: The Encounter

**So, for anyone who has managed to reach chapter 2, thank you for all your interest and even support. I give a shoutout to The Writing Tankers for being the very first to review my latest project. I hope that this one will be officially and fully finished.**

 **On a side note, I keep the year "20XX," because I am not sure whether to put the year as 2017, because it's the reign of Donald Trump in the US. He is a very polarizing figure, so I intend to leave it blank for now. If you guys want me to put it as 2017 or have other advice, please review! Thank you!**

* * *

 **Chapter 2: The Encounter**

 **June 22, 20XX**

 **1:00PM Saturday, Japan Standard Time**

 **Ooarai Girls High School carrier**

"Miho Nishizumi," Anzu stared at her. "What will you do next? Or more precisely, what will you _be_ next?"

Miho blinked at the question. Rarely had her president give out rhetorical questions before, but she knew that it was no accident if her president used them.

"It's no accident that I am asking you," she said. "Or all of you."

Miho stood in the middle of a line of five girls, all tense before the seat of the President of the entire school: their school. The Ooarai Girls High School was an obscure school that became (in)famous for winning the latest nationwide Senshado championship, and later won the right to stay by winning a seemingly impossible match against the Selection University team. Now, the Ooarai school carrier has accumulated an impressive amount of wealth, funded by a variety of companies and organizations that were banking on its success. Still, the carrier was still quite small, including the Council room. Yet it felt so big, because of Anzu's presence.

"We are here today," Anzu said, standing up to see the girls better. "To inform you something special . . ."

The whole room was silent.

Miho Nishizumi wondered what was going on. She knew that Anzu was proud of her, but the meeting was unexpected, especially on a Saturday. Although off from school, Anzu and her Student Council had to do paperwork as usual, and Miho and her friends were enjoying their days off when the Council "forced" them to come.

"Why did you force us to come?" wailed a ginger-haired girl, her slightly wavy hair slightly messed up. She was standing immediately to the right of Miho. "I was brushing my hair, and had no time to fix it!"

"Brush it now, then," a drowsy girl with long, black hair yawned next to her. She was in the far right of the line. "And there are no boys here, you know."

"Mako!" wailed Saori. "Don't remind me!"

"Maybe later?" inquired a tall, elegant girl, who was on the left side of Miho. "Saori, this is the Council room, you know?"

"Not you too, Hana!" Saori moaned. Everybody else giggled.

"Well," a girl with curly hair on the far left said. She did not look very nervous, but fidgeted slightly. "It's the Student Council in front of us. Whatever will happen, we'll stick together like a team! Right, Nishizumi-dono?"

"Oh! Yes, Yukari-chan," answered Miho. "So, President, why did-"

Anzu waved her off. "Just call me Anzu," she said. "You saved our school and all. Don't treat me as superior, you know?" She smirked, which confused Miho.

"So," Anzu began her talk. "Why did I invite you all here? Any ideas?"

Momo stood on the right side of the desk, rolling her eyes. Yuzu, standing on the left, fidgeted. Their reaction only upped the tension of the room.

Miho stood still, trying to understand what was going on. Saori squirmed, not wanting to stand forever. Hana calmly stood tall. Yukari played with her fingers. Mako, however, was leaning, as if about to sleep, her eyes closed.

Silence. Then . . .

"OK!" Anzu said out loud. Miho, Saori, and Yukari jumped, while Hana stood still. Mako, however, stopped leaning and opened her eyes to look at Anzu.

"Now," Anzu replied. "You are the heroes, or the heroines, of our school, saving us not once, but twice, from permanent closure! You all have our thanks!"

The five girls looked at each other, as if communicating via telepathy. Miho then cleared her throat to speak.

"N-no," she replied. "We all worked together to keep the school open. Presi-I mean, Anzu-chan."

"Just call me Anzu," Anzu replied. "No need to be formal here, you know!"

"Aren't we going off topic?" Momo budged in, impatient at her president's laid-back talk.

"What about the papers?" Yuzu said, placing the five sheets on the desk.

"Oh yes!" Anzu said. "I forgot them!"

"You did?" Momo moaned, her right hand in a face palm. The five girls in front were more confused than ever before.

"So!" Anzu cleared her throat. "This is the real reason why I have brought you all here."

In a friendly manner, Anzu slammed her right hand down on the five pieces of paper on her desk. After a moment of silence, Miho stepped closer to look. The other four then followed suit, and all of them stared down at the papers.

"Huh?" all five of them reacted.

Each of the five sheets was a kind of chart, or a profile sheet. In each sheet, they saw their names, their dates of birth, and all kinds of personal details, ranging from weight ("I hate to see that," mumbled Saori) to blood type ("AB," mumbled Mako). Their face profiles were also on them as well. However, all of them noticed something odd about them.

"Anzu," said Miho. "What are these seals?"

She pointed at a mysterious seal that looked like a stamp. All five sheets had them, but they were all very ornate and gilded.

"Isn't that gold?" Hana asked.

"It is," answered Anzu.

"What?"

Hana gasped, covering her mouth. Miho stood still, eyes wide open. Saori and Yukari stepped back in shock. Mako just stared at the papers.

"What's special about seals made from gold?" asked Mako. "They're just colored gold."

"They are actually made of gold," Momo retorted. Mako's eyes slowly opened in shock.

"Not just gold," said Anzu. "We decided to research into them, while waiting for you all to come. It turns out that they are not just seals."

"Aren't these from America?" asked Yukari. "All of them have some kind of an image of an eagle."

"Correct," said Anzu. "We contacted the Saunders, and Kay answered us. She was surprised that we had such documents. She said that these seals are some kind of a 'secret code' that doubles as an 'all-access' pass to the US."

"What?" Saori and Yukari yelled. Miho and Hana stood still, thinking about the situation. Mako just stared, her eyes now wide open.

"In other words," Anzu said. "Somehow, your actions were so impressive even the US government somehow got interested in you. A federal body of some sort (maybe secret?) decided to deliver these special documents, in hopes that you all will visit their nation."

"And why?" asked Yukari.

"I guess it's to improve relations," said Anzu. "Kay explained to me the documents, and why they are so important."

"How so?" asked Miho.

"Get ready," Anzu stretched. "For a long talk."

Momo cleared her throat, and directed the others to look at her. She took out a pointer to direct their attention to a white projection screen. On it, they saw the picture of Japan and the US.

"You all know about Senshado," said Momo. "It is one of the main arts of Japan. You all know the details, so I am not going into them much. However, in the US, a similar type of arts exists. Or existed. Known as Tankery, it was quite popular in the 1990's and even into the early 2000's."

"Tankery?" asked Saori.

"It's the American term for Senshado!" answered Yukari. "Right, Nishizumi-dono?"

"R-right!" Miho replied, sounding a little flustered. "In the US, I heard that it was a popular sport for a long time, perhaps even longer than that of Japan."

"What?" cried out Yukari. "But that sounds cool! I knew that both nations had Senshado, but I never guessed that the American one was older!"

"However," Momo continued, clearing her throat. "By the late 2000's, many Americans turned against it, because they believed that the use of tanks was not 'appropriate' for the mental health of the young teens in the US. To make matters worse, a single terrorist, with some ties to al-Qaeda or related organization, hijacked a single Tankery tank, and attempted to go on a rampage."

"The California incident," mumbled Yukari. "That happened somewhere in 2005 or so. It was ridiculous . . ."

"You know that?" asked Saori.

"She did tell me before," said Hana. "One of the worst sports scandals ever, I heard."

"Yup," Yukari sighed. "That crazy guy almost killed innocent people with a Tankery tank!"

"Fortunately, the guy was stopped, but that was the last straw," Momo explained, shaking her head in agreement. "Now, the majority of the Americans believed that the art of Tankery was not only 'unfit' for America, but also 'dangerous.' They believed that the use of tanks as sports could lead to catastrophes and all kinds of crazy things."

"But don't they have laws legalizing firearms?" asked Mako. "Aren't tanks just over-sized guns? What makes tanks illegal, but firearms legal?"

Everybody stared at her. They all thought the same thing.

Momo nodded, but shrugged. "It's America, you know," she replied. "They have crazy laws back there."

"But let's get to the point," said Yuzu. She brought out a black box, and opened it. The five girls gasped, as they saw five golden badges.

"These," said Anzu, pointing at them. "Are the true seals. Badges of Tankery. The seals on the papers are based on these."

"Why for us?" asked Saori. "And where did you find them?"

"Apparently," said Anzu. "Not all Americans were against the abolishment of Tankery, and wanted to restore it. Long story short, most Americans voted to abolish the sport in a recent referendum. Then, after seeing the 'JJ' win against impossible odds, a sizable minority successfully petitioned the US federal government to reconsider bringing back the sport."

"The JJ?" all five girls asked.

"The Joan of Japan," Anzu explained. "Named after a famous amazon who helped France to win against the Britain, the Joan of Japan led her school to impossible victory. She's right in front of you all."

Silence. Saori and Mako slowly turned to their left, while Yukari and Hana slowly turned to their right. All of them gasped at _her_.

"M-me?" Miho gasped. She fidgeted, feeling embarrassed with all the spotlight upon her. "W-why me?"

"Somebody tried to call you 'Legend,'" said Anzu. "But on the Internet, somebody came up with 'JJ,' or the 'Joan of Japan.' Apparently, many people found that catchy, and it became quite a popular meme."

"In fact," said Yuzu. "On my Friendbook and Twammer accounts, that has become quite popular, especially among my American friends."

"H-how am I JJ?" asked Miho.

"You, the JJ," declared Anzu, leaning closer. "Saved our school with your impossible tactics. You saved our school with a crazy drift back in the 63rd National High School Senshadou Tournament. You then saved our school with that crazy speed-boost move back in the battle against the Selection University. Apparently, the news of both reached the US, and many pro-Tankery people rallied together to create a massive petition. I heard that the petition got over five million signatures!"

"And all because of you," replied Yuzu, smiling.

"M-me?" Miho was still startled and flustered. It was one thing to be famous for being a member of the Nishizumi family, the oldest Senshadou family in Japan. It was another thing to be famous for the same thing in the _US_ , the most powerful nation in the world.

"Many pro-Tankery advocates in the US," said Anzu. "Apparently liked you so much, even some of the government workers liked you. The President even personally signed these documents!"

They looked at the sheets, and all of them gasped.

"Wow!" Yukari roared. "To be recognized by the President of the United States of America? Awesome!"

Saori whistled in agreement. Hana and Mako just stared at their documents. Miho, however, fidgeted, because her document was the most different of them all.

"I understand," said Anzu. "Of all the documents, yours is the most special."

Miho stared at her document. The seal on it was so different from her friends'. Her friends' seals were apparently based on the Great Seal of the United States, the famous seal showing the American eagle, surrounded by a ring and holding an olive wreath and a couple of arrows in its talons. They were all golden.

Miho's seal, however, was very detailed. It looked like the Great Seal, but colored with both gold and what looked like silver.

"That's not silver," said Anzu. "That's platinum."

"Platinum?!" Yukari gasped. "That's even more valuable than gold!"

Miho stared at her seal. The American eagle was colored gold, with a stylized image of the American flag on its chest. It was holding the same items, but the olive wreath was bright green. The arrows glittered very brightly, so much so that Miho blinked a couple of times. The cloud-like image on top also looked very bright.

"Aren't these made of gems?" asked Miho.

"You are right," Anzu bluntly answered. "Same for these seals in the box."

All four of her friends gasped at Miho. Miho sweated very badly. She realized that both the seal on the paper and the badge in the box were made of not only gold and platinum, but also of gems!

"Which means," Momo cleared her throat to get their attention. "That Miho's seal and badge both are made of gold and platinum. The platinum is on the eagle's head and tail. The olive wreath is made of emerald, while the arrows are made of diamond. The blue colors are sapphire, while the red is ruby. The cloud-like image on top, however, is mostly gold, platinum, and that blue part is not sapphire, but blue diamond."

All five girls stood there, stunned.

"W-what kind of a military insignia is that?" stuttered Yukari. "A seal made of precious metals and gems, and the badge too? Is the US so crazy about _you_?"

Miho was silent, too shocked to answer back.

"Well," Anzu said. "Back to the point. These seals and paper all are proof of your worth in the eyes of the Americans."

"Are we that special?" asked Yukari. "And how did they even make badges and seals out of precious metals and gems? I thought that was impossible!"

"Apparently, they hired the right people to make these crazy stuff," said Anzu. "And send them all the way to us!"

"And now," said Yukari. "That means we're-"

"CELEBRITIES!" cried out Saori. "We'll be so popular with everyone there, including Hollywood hotties and cameras and-"

"Not so fast," said Momo. Saori groaned.

"You are famous, only for those who sent these," said Anzu. "Most people don't know that you guys even have these yet. These documents are real; Kay and a few of her comrades actually checked them out."

"Wait, they actually flew here?" asked Yukari.

"By chance, they were flying nearby," said Anzu. "We gave them permission to land. But they had to leave early, so they took a quick look at the seals and the badges. They told me that these are real. In fact, Kay admitted that it's rare to get such things, even in America."

"If the Saunders say they're real," said Mako. "Then, they obviously are."

"Talk about that . . ." mumbled Miho.

"So, that's the whole point," said Anzu. "We decide that you guys should keep these documents, just in case. We'll keep the badges for safekeeping."

"Didn't you all already copy them?" asked Yukari.

"We did," said Yuzu. "But our printer cannot print gold or platinum or gems . . ."

"If that was so," Anzu said dreamily. "We would be rich by now . . ."

"Shut up," said Momo, but Miho could tell that she was thinking the same thing.

"So," Anzu said, handing out the documents. "Any questions?"

All five members of the leading Senshadou team, the Anglerfish Team, stood silent and still. After a moment of tense silence, Miho nodded, and her friends mimicked her.

"Great!" Anzu said. "Now, all of you, dismissed! Be happy!"

* * *

 **On the same day**

 **3:00PM Saturday, Japan Standard Time**

 **In the same carrier, but in the tank garage . . .**

 **"I cannot believe it all."**

Miho declared her feelings to her four friends sitting around. They had a very late lunch, because all of them forgot to eat. They were sitting on top of their favorite tank: the Panzer IV Ausf. H. The memory of their meeting lingered in all of them.

Miho stared at her seal. Real gold, real platinum, real gems . . . It was hard to take it in.

"How did they even make that seal?" Mako asked.

"It's America," Yukari only guessed. "They do crazy things there."

"But this is amazing news," said Hana calmly. "Even I am taken aback."

"You don't look like it," remarked Saori. "Which makes sense, since you're raised into a family of ikebana and all."

"I am still in shock," Miho admitted. She stared down at her bento box, with little appetite. She could not believe what she heard. She knew that everybody in Japan knew that she did the impossible. But to discover that even in America . . .

She shivered.

"You OK?" asked Saori. "How about this? Your favorite dessert!"

Saori handed her a piece of a strawberry shortcake. Miho suddenly smiled.

"Hehe," Yukari grinned. "You're drooling."

"Oops! Sorry!" Miho flustered, wiping her mouth with her napkin. Everybody giggled, as all of them were glad to get away from the topic. Miho munched on the piece, grinning ear-to-ear.

"So, by the way," said Yukari. "What are we going to do next?"

"Eat our lunch, check our tank, and go home," Mako said mechanically.

"Mako!" Saori moaned. "Have a little more energy, for once!"

"I do," she replied, chomping on her desserts. "This is _my_ energy."

"And eat your lunch first, then dessert!" wailed Saori.

"It's my lunch," Mako retorted. Miho giggled at their antics, but suddenly remembered something.

"Oh yeah," she realized. "I remember Anzu saying something."

"What is it?" asked the others.

"She told me," Miho said. "A question: 'What will you _be_ next . . .'"

"What does that mean?" asked Yukari.

"That sounds rather mysterious," admitted Hana. "I remember that, too. I am surprised that she did not go back to that."

"Well, I guess that's not very important," said Saori, trying to change the topic. "What about our tank?"

"Let's check it after our lunch," said Miho. They all agreed.

* * *

 **Two hours later . . .**

Miho Nishizumi went back to the garage, and stared at the tank. All of her friends went to their own places, but Miho decided to return back to the garage. She approached it, and caressed the tank. It brought her great memories: the tank that gave them victory in the latest nationwide tournament, and the tank that landed the final hit that defeated the last Pershing in the Selection University skirmish.

Still, the meeting haunted her. It was supposed to be something good, but for some reason, she felt uncomfortable. _Very_ uncomfortable.

Popular in the US. Popular as the "JJ" to the Americans. Getting a seal and a badge from the US, with a signature from the President himself. And now . . .

She shook herself, trying to avoid the thoughts. She just wanted to enjoy the life that she had right now. In fact, she and her friends were on summer break; until August, they could do whatever they wanted. She walked around the tank, remembering how she came to Ooarai just to avoid the Senshado.

She shook herself again. She did not want to remember that, either. She paced back and forth again, but her steps started to speed up. She felt her heart beating, faster and faster. She tried to ignore it, but it kept coming back . . .

The thought of being known in the US. The thought of being recognized by a huge number of foreigners. The thought of being recognized even by the President. And the thought of being the "Joan of Japan."

She then stopped. Miho stood in front of the reddish-brown tank. The thoughts kept coming back, so she decided to do something.

"Let me check the tank," she said to herself. She looked at the tank:

She and her team formed the Anglerfish Team, the team that won the school the right to stay. Their tank was the Panzer IV. She remembered that when they first found it, it was slightly dilapidated but fully functional, its bluish armor marred by the elements. Now, it was a proud model, its armor slightly shiny. Its 7.5 KwK gun pointed very straight and deliberate, the barrel firm as a strong rock. On top, she glimpsed the 7.92 mm MG 34 machine gun.

"We don't use that much," she said to herself. "More to distract the enemy, although I heard that Saori said it was 'exhilarating.' I don't know what that means, but oh well."

She then touched the armor plates. "Front part is 80 mm," she said to herself. "The sides are 30 mm, and the rear is 20. But the turret's is different; 50 mm in front, 30 mm on the sides, and 30 mm in the rear. Now that I think about it, our tank's back is relatively vulnerable. Good thing to remember that."

She then backed away, thinking. The same thoughts of the meeting started to creep in, but she forced herself to forget. She focused on thinking about the tank more.

"Let me think," she said to herself, feeling her hands sweat a little. "Our tank is a medium tank. An all-arounder type that is good for most situations. We use it to both fight and to move around. And it's overall a good tank to go around and such and such. And we can shoot with gun and machine-wait, cannon and gun and machine gun and-and-and . . ."

She stopped. The thoughts still continued to plague her mind. She started to pant a little.

"Space is cramped in the tank, usual for a tank," she continued her self-rant. "It is driven using levers like a tractor. Engine uses gasoline Maybach HL 120. It's an overall a good tank, but its engine could be better. It's good that it's medium, not heavy like the Tigers or the Panthers. Top speed on road is 42 km per hour, but 16 km at best off road. Better on road than on natural ground. And it's good for driving around, and it's good for all roads and-and better on ground than soil and-and-and . . ."

She suddenly stopped, realizing that she was panting a little too hard. After a brief moment of waiting, she sighed.

"I am going out," she said. "I am not feeling well. Even my tank could not help; my rant alone could not. If only it could understand me and us . . ."

She went out, breathing the fresh air outside. She strolled away, wondering what to do to avoid the same thoughts from plaguing her mind. She almost felt a little . . . crazy.

"What to do," she said to herself, pacing back and forth. She did not notice something approaching near, something glowing like a faint star, which started to edge closer and closer towards her. No, it turned around, and entered the garage . . .

* * *

 **June 21, 20XX**

 **3:00 AM Wednesday, Eastern Standard Time**

 **Washington D. C.: The White House**

"Mr. President!"

"Mm?"

The President of the United States of America grunted, not used to a secret agent suddenly waking him late at night. _Very_ late at night.

"Eet must be sumthing big and impurtent," he groaned. "To wafe me up this urly."

"Sorry for that," the secret agent apologized. "But we have orders to wake you up if the device starts flashing."

"Is it?"

"Yes, Mr. President," the secret agent said, sweats pouring from his forehead. "The device detects it. It's coming from Japan."

"Japan, huh?" the President rose up, stretching. The agent already brought in a tray of food, including a cup of coffee. The President took it, and gulped it down in only three mouthfuls.

"It must be that important," he said, much more awake. "Whew! Nice coffee there!"

"It is, and thank you," said the agent. "But now, we must tell the members of the Project Portal."

"Arghh," the President moaned. "The life of a President is never easy, huh?"

* * *

 **Two hours later . . .**

 **In the Oval Office of the White House**

"We now know the location of your . . . "weapon" of some sort," said the President, looking at the man in front of him. The agent who woke him up brought the man, who was one of the members of the "Project Portal." The agent, Henry Dexter, then greeted him and left the scene.

The man was the same guy who talked about the "Project" a few days ago. The President recalled being confused over that name, but the man whom he met was even more sinister.

He looked quite massive, about 2.2 m (or 7.21 ft) tall, an imposing figure. The President also realized that the man was wearing everything, gloves and even a mask, to hide all of his skin.

"I wonder why he's doing that," the President mumbled to himself.

"Mr. President," the imposing human spoke.

"Y-yes!" he replied.

"I now can tell you," he said, rather mechanically. "About the Project Portal."

"Oh . . . Thank you," the President answered.

"I will say it only once," the man told the President. "So, listen carefully":

"The Project Portal was created in 1993, initially in direct response to the bombing of the World Trade Center. Back then, the Project was meant to find a way to create special wormholes in the Earth's dimensions, in order to facilitate military deployment. The Project managed to create them, but all of them were too small to be of use. The largest ones allowed us to squeeze mice through, and we found out that the mice could teleport from one place to another.

"We kept developing the project further, in hopes of expanding the size. We started making progress; the portals became large enough to reach in with our hands. However, after the 9/11 attack, the Project became even more authorized."

"Authorized?" the President asked.

"Back then," the agent continued. "President Bush heard bits and pieces about this. He correctly guessed that we were working on something about teleportation, so he secretly passed bills allowing more money into the project. Sure enough, our scientists managed to expand the portals large enough to crawl through. However, we needed to hasten the project; we wanted portals large enough to drive a _tank_ through."

"And what about the Area 51?" the President interrupted. "And a tank?"

"Upon seeing the progress, the giant man continued. "Secret members there brought the project from an undisclosed location to there, for security reasons. Thus, the project accomplished the original purpose, and we polished the project to improve it. However, we stumbled across serious flaws.

"Serious flaws?"

"For one thing," he said. "We can create portals, but so far, we cannot control where the portal leads to. All of our portals so far have failed to lead to our desirable locations; they all lead to seemingly random places."

"Furthermore, we first used portable devices to create wormholes," the man continued. "However, all of them essentially detonated or failed. In fact, we realized that all devices smaller than a tank were one-use. For some reasons, only tanks are large enough, or something, to create multiple portals. Furthermore, they were the only ones, for some reasons, that can actually create portals to places we want to go. However, we could only create one tank that could do all that."

"And what was that tank?" the President asked.

"Classified," he answered. "But we were successful in creating that single tank. It could create portals large enough for a tank to go through, could make more than one portal, and could actually create portals that lead to our targeted locations. This tank was able to create a portal that allowed a M-1 Abrams tank to travel from the state of Nevada to Syria in the Middle East!"

"Impressive!" the President said.

"However," the man said, his voice lowering. "That same tank suddenly exploded."

"But no one got hurt," the President replied. He wondered why that happened.

"No one," the man replied. "But that is where the mystery starts. After the tank suddenly exploded, all of our devices mysteriously stopped working. We still have the research, but none of our equipment can make portals anymore. Even our tanks lost that power."

"So, that's where I come in," said the President.

"Exactly," the man replied. "You are the face of the US. You control the military. You are perhaps the one who could help us to recover the Project Portal back."

"And why tell me now?" he asked.

"It was not an easy choice," the man admitted. "We wanted to hide it further, but dealing with a foreign nation would be quite tricky, especially for a secret project like this."

"So, what's next?" the President asked.

"We find a way to access the entirety of the geography of Japan," the man continued. "And find where that 'portal conjuring source' is."

"And then?"

"And we take that back to Area 51," he concluded.

"And how do we gain the trust of Japan in this regard?" asked the President.

"Remember that time?" the man suddenly grinned, startling the President. "We already sent those documents to those girls back in Japan."

He gasped.

"Wait, that's the _real_ reason for the seals and the papers?" the President asked, flustered.

"Appointing a variety of girls in Japan who practice Senshado," said the man. "Under the pretext of reviving Tankery in the US."

"You're kidding me!" the President said, almost roaring.

"Well, that's politics for you," the man replied.

"Fine," the President replied. "I hope this will work out. But why those girls who received the seals and the badges?"

"Gain the trust of the 'JJ' and her school, then infiltrate through them, and hopefully find where our 'source' is," the man said.

"Why that complicated?" the President asked.

"We have to keep it a secret," said the man. "So, we have to make this plan unusual and complicated, in order to avoid suspicion. It's Area 51, and the Project Portal is in there. Clear?"

"Clear," said the President. "I hope you'll treat them well."

"Oh, yes we will," he said. "We will . . ."

Silence. The President closed his eyes, thinking about everything he heard. In reality, he slightly opened his eyes, to see the mysterious man before him. For some reason, he had a feeling of something not very right . . .

"Are you done, Mr. President?" the man suddenly asked.

Startled, the President regained his composure.

"If that is all, that is all," he said.

"Thank you," said the agent. "I hope to see you again."

As he approached the door, he remembered something.

"Oh yes," he said, turning around. "Mr. President, I forgot to tell you my name."

"You are?" the President asked, used to the mystery of it all. "And thanks for the apology."

"I am Agent Forsaken," he answered.

The President raised an eyebrow. "Forsaken?" he asked.

"My code name," he replied. "I cannot tell you my true name, for security reasons."

"So many security reasons," the President mumbled.

Agent Forsaken only smirked. "You'll see more than that," Forsaken replied, and left.

Alone, the President thought to himself.

"Project Portal . . . Japan . . . Senshado . . . Tankery . . . What will I do next? Or more importantly, what will they _be_ next?"

* * *

 **Wow, I have finally finished this chapter! So, if you guys notice, I am not sure whether to include this chapter as occurring in 2017. If so, then the President would be none other than Trump. He is very polarizing; about half of Americans love him, and other half hate him. I am wondering whether to put the President as Trump, or just make up a President. I need some advice with this.**

 **Besides that, this chapter tied the main points in the previous chapter together. Now, we can see that the US government is up to something, and Miho's tank will play a major role in this! On the next chapter, expect a culture shock! Panzer vor!**


	3. Chapter 3: Into the US

**To all followers, thank you for the follows! I finally have finished another long chapter, after finishing one yesterday! I cannot believe that I had the energy and passion to come all the way here! Well then, onwards we march!**

* * *

 **Chapter 3: Into the US**

 **June 25, 20XX**

 **5:00PM Sunday, Eastern Standard Time**

 **Washington D. C.: The White House**

"Ah . . ." the President sighed in relief. Last week was quite tense; now, even his usual busy schedule was a breeze compared to that "incident." He had heard nothing from Agent Forsaken or any member of the Project Portal for quite a while.

Feeling a little bored, he decided to take out a scrap piece of paper. At that moment, he had nothing to do, no paper to sign. Furthermore, his latest appointment was canceled, due to a car accident ("Good thing no one got killed," he pondered). With half an hour all to himself, the President decided to jot down what he knew about this mysterious project:

* * *

Project Portal

A secret experiment

An attempt to improve military transportation

Status: Success

Problem: somehow, power or tank or something of this ended up in Japan.

Solution: the many girls who practice Senshado in Japan

* * *

"Now," he said. "Who were those girls again? I signed so many papers, I forgot who's who. Let me check-"

Ring-ring!

"Oh," he picked up the phone. "Hello?"

"Hello, Mr. President."

"Agent Forsaken!"

"Hush! I am here to report you."

"Any news?"

"We've contacted his Excellency Shinzo Abe."

"Ah, the current Prime Minister of Japan."

"Yes, and he has green lighted our move."

"Good! This should be easier than expected, right?"

"Not exactly so."

"How so?" the President became curious.

"We simply told him that we're on a business trip to Japan," said Forsaken. "We did not tell him our true motive."

"Being secret from everyone, huh?" mumbled the President.

"Yes," Forsaken answered. "But once you gain our trust, we will explain more."

"So, Agent Forsaken, what exactly do you-"

"Agent Forsaken!" the President heard another voice in the transmission. It was the voice of a woman.

"Agent Twice!" he heard Forsaken hiss at her. "I will be there! Shush!"

"We have to go," Forsaken told the President. "Good day."

"Good day," he replied, and was about to hang up when he heard more.

"What is going on?" he heard Forsaken talk. His tone was so different. To the President, he sounded very formal and polite. To this Agent Twice, however, he was incredibly harsh and vocal. The President realized that the Agent did not hang up, and forgot to turn it off. In fact, he could hear them loud and clear, because Forsaken was still holding the phone in his hand! Taking this rare advantage, the President decided to eavesdrop.

"Have we found it yet?" Agent Forsaken roared.

"Not yet," Agent Twice replied, almost squeaking.

"We've been waiting for the past few days, and if we don't get that soon, then the Corporation will get us!" The President clearly heard him punch what sounded like a wooden box. He shuddered, as he could hear wood crack.

"I know, I know! And our livelihoods are on the line, too!"

"Twice! I have said twice and more, again and again! If we do not find where that power is, then the Corporation will hand us over to the courts, even to the Supreme Court! We have to find it fast!"

"The Corporation really wants that power back, huh?"

"Exactly! And it intends to use that to finally defeat ISIS and other terrorists for good!"

"So, the Corporation knows that it's in Japan, and we have to fly all the way there, right?"

"As long as the power stays 'free,' we can harness it back with our Absorber!"

"Then, we can get paid again."

"Yes! We're not paid until we find proof of where it is exactly!"

"You guys gossiping again?" The President heard another voice, which sounded like an annoyed child, or an adult who made his voice squeak by inhaling a little helium.

"Agent Helium!" The President raised an eyebrow. These agents sure had weird code names.

"How about this?" Helium said. "You all will be paid again. On one condition: you two will come with me to Japan, find that power, and use the Absorber to get it back. Clear?"

"Clear!" both Forsaken and Twice answered. The President could tell that they were happy.

"But we must hurry," Helium said. "If we don't, then the Corporation will have all of our throats. And the US government could find out, and we could be in big trouble."

"Clear!" the others roared.

"And remember," Helium told them. "If that power enters a tank, then we have to confiscate the whole vehicle. No questions asked. We may even have to destroy it, if that is the only option to harness back the power."

"Understood!" the others answered back.

The President heard the three agents walking again, chatting nothing important in particular. Suddenly, he heard something.

"Say," Forsaken started. "What did the Corporation say it was again? It was a pe-"

Click.

"Oh," the President guessed that Forsaken somehow turned off his phone without thinking. However, he had heard more than enough. He remained seated in his Oval Office, right hand in a face palm.

"They sure hide a lot," he said to himself. "The Corporation, what is that company? And why are they so serious about getting it back? And why tell me all of a sudden?"

"Oh yeah!" he realized. "I am the Commander-in-chief! If that power falls into the wrong hands . . ."

He did not need to think twice. He picked up his phone, and dialed for one of the numbers.

"Mr. President?"

"How are the Armed Forces going?"

"In top condition as we speak."

"Keep them top, we may need them."

* * *

 **June 26, 20XX**

 **7:20AM Monday, Japan Standard Time**

 **Oorai Girls High School carrier**

"Not another early match, and during break too . . ."

Mako moaned, as she drove the tank along the ground of their training field. Even though they were not in any match soon, the whole Senshado club was honing its own skills over and over again.

"It's like bodybuilding!" cried out Yukari, analyzing her ammo shells. "If you don't keep exercising, you'll lose your muscles again!"

"But we have no match coming up!" she continued to groan.

"Mako!" Saori rebuked her. "Fix your attitude, will ya?"

"Alright!" Miho told everyone. "We have a target in sight."

"Roger that," answered Hana, directly the turret at a brownish spot beneath a group of shrubs and trees. "I am ready."

"Ute!" Miho called out.

 _Boom!_

A white flag appeared on the Hetzer, and Miho and her tank continued to go after the other tanks.

"I can't believe it!" Momo roared, as she and two others came out of their tank. "They got us again!"

"It's Miho, after all," Anzu said, munching on a piece of sweet potato. "She's in top condition still."

"Momo-chan, you complain a lot," Yuzu teased her.

"Stop it!" she moaned. "And stop calling me Momo-chan!"

The girls ended up giggling together, as they waited for the retrieval team to get their tank back up again. The Anglerfish Team already took out two other tanks: the Duck Team played volleyball from a safe distance in order to avoid getting shot, while the Mallard Team sat patiently not far away.

"It's your fault you all got shot," Mako said, as he peeked out to tell the Mallard Team as her tank passed by. "Have a nice day, Sodoko."

"Stop calling me Sodoko!" she screamed back, a girl with short, tidy hair. "It's not good to call someone a weird nickname, you know!"

"But we call you that," Gomoyo remarked. She looked almost just like Sodoko.

"Be quiet!" she growled.

Mako only smirked, as she drove her team tank to the other surviving teams.

"It seems a little funny," said Saori. "That our first targets were both ducks."

All of them smiled. Even Miho could not help but giggle. Apparently, the two were working together to take her tank down, but the sharp eyes of both Miho and Hana detected their presence. After taking down the Duck Team, the Mallard Team panicked a little, which gave away their presence. Hana simply fired at it, without a second thought.

"Now," Miho said. "We have Hippo, Rabbit, Anteater, and Leopon left. I remember where they could be."

She checked a map with a doodle of a teddy bear in bandages in the far left corner. While Yukari and Saori craned their heads to look, Mako kept driving and Hana continued to spy the surroundings.

"Isn't it odd," Hana suddenly said. "That we took out all three in just 20 minutes?"

The tank suddenly stopped. Everybody stayed still. The wind outside blew calmly, the trees and grasses swaying with it. Bees and butterflies danced around, fighting over the early-blooming flowers.

"Hey . . ." Mako began, but she stopped.

"I think we're all thinking the same thing . . ." said Saori. "Miporin, didn't we all notice something _odd_ with our tank?"

"Y-yes," Miho replied. "I thought something was up, but we were in a hurry. I did not think twice but . . ."

* * *

 **35 minutes ago . . .**

"In 15 minutes!" Momo called out through her speaker. "We will begin at 7!"

All of the teams went to their tanks for the practice. As usual, they spent a few minutes earlier to check the tanks, to make sure that they were in perfect condition.

"This time," Anzu called them out. "We are using real shells."

"And we have as much time as we need!" Momo called out, using her speaker. "So, I hope you all remember to bring some food and supplies, in case this battle would last for a long time!"

"Oh no!" one of the Rabbit Team members, Aya Oono, cried out. "I forgot to bring the food!"

"Aya!" Azusa, her team leader, moaned. "You forgot again?"

Everybody in her team laughed, while the others checked their own belongings. Today was no ordinary match; Anzu called it the "Self-Expression" match, in which they showcase themselves not only through their tactics, but also through their own personalities. In other words, Anzu told them all to bring whatever they wanted, just for fun. Hence, each team was "peculiar" in what the people brought. The Turtle Team brought a whole box of dried sweet potatoes; Yuzu groaned about the heavy weight, while Anzu patted her hard in gratitude. The Hippo Team brought in a number of katanas and even flags for their tanks. The Duck Team brought the whole volleyball set, with balls and even the net.

"Can they even fit the net in?" asked Momo aghast.

"They did," Anzu answered nonchalantly, seeing the Duck members easily detach the pieces and transport them down into their tank. Momo shook her head in disbelief.

The Rabbit Team brought an entire TV set, complete with a VHS reader and a large set of videos to watch their favorite movies.

"I-isn't that dangerous?" asked Miho.

"Well . . ." Anzu said, glancing away. "I had no rules against that."

The Mallard Team carried nothing but some "professional stuff." The Anteater Team brought an entire set of game consoles ("Not so different from Rabbit," Miho pondered). Last but not least, the Leopon Team brought in everything they need to fix their tank; they are mechanics, after all.

Saori pouted, seeing how much others had brought.

"I think we're the only normal ones here," Saori finally remarked.

"I actually do not think so," Miho said. "Look at us."

The day before, Miho and her friends decided to load their tank with things that they all agreed (Anzu told them and others ahead of time to think and prepare ahead) to bring:

1) A box of clothing (casual, formal, and the infamous Ankou . . .)

2) A box of high-calorie protein bars, bottled water, and other snacks and drinks

3) A survival kit the size of a cardboard box

4) A medical first-aid kit

5) A special manual recharger in case there is no outlet for their phones

"Wait," Saori said. "Why did we bring that _much_?"

"To look cool, I guess?" Anzu jumped in.

"T-that was too much," Miho admitted. "Why did we decide on that, in the first place?"

All of her four friends stared at her. Anzu smirked, impressed at _her_.

"Oh!" Miho realized, giggling. "I-I guess I went overboard."

"No! No!" Yukari suddenly remembered. "It was my fault! When I asked you what to bring in the case of an _emergency_ , you went serious _and_ mature, Nishizumi-dono!"

"Is that how the Kuromorimine Girls High School prepares students?" asked Hana.

"N-no," Miho answered. "It's just that my family has a long history of survival skills, although we don't use them that much anymore."

"And," Anzu said. "You guys brought way more than _all_ of us!"

Miho blushed, holding her backpack full of her personal belongings, and three Boko dolls. Saori also blushed, trying to hide her box of cooking and food supplies; she even brought a portable gas stove! Hana had her supplies of ikebana, neatly packed into a largish box. Yukari brought a huge military backpack, looking more like a soldier than a high school student. Mako, however, brought a mysterious box.

"What do you have?" Miho asked.

Mako did not answer, but gave a mysterious grin.

"Please help me to open it," she only said.

"OK!" Yukari cried out, still carrying her backpack. She crouched down, took out a box cutter, and ripped it open. Mako then pulled the "thing" out.

Everybody gasped.

"No fair!" Aya moaned in the background.

"Is that . . ." Yuzu said. She dropped her notepad, which tapped on the floor.

"Oh my," Momo stuttered. Her monocle shook and fell, hanging by her ear.

Anzu only grinned.

"You actually bought that?" Saori yelled.

"Part of my scholarship," Mako grinned, holding what looked like a white table with four helicopter blades on the corners. Beneath the table, however, was a movable camera.

"A DJI Phantom 4 Quadcopter," Miho analyzed in a low voice.

"Eh?" Hana and Saori both asked.

"A Phantom drone," Mako said simply. "One of the best, and most popular, drones around these days."

"A drone?" asked Erwin, one of the leaders of the Hippo Team.

"A flying machine that can spy from the sky!" answered Nekota, the leader of the Anteater Team. Although she wore glasses and a cat-ear headband, she was actually quite tall and very beautiful.

Everybody in the room oohed and aahed over the drone.

"I heard that Alisa got in trouble with a couple of officials over its use," said Yukari. "But I never would guess that you would even _buy_ one!"

"I did not buy," Mako corrected her. "I won it from a competition."

"Wow . . ." everybody kept staring at the drone. The mood soon changed. Everybody now wanted to do one thing:

Defeat their leading team, the Anglerfish Team.

"That's right!" Anzu said. "This is a friendly match! Between _us_ and _you_!"

"EHH?" the whole Anglerfish Team exclaimed.

"You didn't tell us!" Saori complained. "We thought it was just a competition for fun!"

"Hey!" Anzu waved them off. "It's just a practice match! We want to see if we can defeat you all again! Remember that first match we had, when Chono-san told us to take out the other tanks? Technically, all four tanks went against you, Miho!"

"So, a revenge match?" inferred Mako.

"It is," Yuzu shrugged.

"I hope this won't be like the Pickett's Charge," said Erwin. "Again."

"Picky Charge?" asked Karina, a member of the Rabbit Team.

" _Pickett's_ Charge," Azusa corrected her. "Wasn't that the infamous assault that led to the defeat of Robert E. Lee during the American Civil War?"

"OHHH!" all four members of the Hippo Team exclaimed, and even applauded her. She blushed.

"I take that as a 'yes,' then," she giggled.

"But you guys knew about this?" asked Miho. "That Mako had the drone?"

"Yes!" Anzu said, grinning. "That's why I told you a little earlier than most others, in order to bring out the best in you."

"What?" Momo and Yuzu both asked. "How did you know that she had a drone?"

"I found her at the post office," Anzu said. "And both of us met, and made a deal with each other. She can use that for her match, while we get our own secret weapons."

"Secret weapons?" asked Momo. "All we brought was a box of dried sweet potatoes."

"But it's _seven_ against one," said Anzu. "So, in a way, we're even!"

"B-but," Miho began, but they heard the sound.

"Oh!" said Anzu. "We're almost late for practice! Everybody, pack up and start!"

"Wow," said Yukari. "We deliberately were _over-prepared_ , so that we could take on seven tanks at once?"

"I guess so," said Miho. She and the others did not notice that all of their boxes were gone; a large, mechanical arm reached out and pulled them all in. No one saw it, as it retracted behind the Panzer IV . . .

"Anyway," she said. "Panzer vor!"

* * *

 **June 26, 20XX**

 **7:30AM Monday, Japan Standard Time**

 **Oorai Girls High School carrier**

"What happened to our tank?"

Miho and her team could think more clearly, after they had easily taken out two more teams. Rabbit Team was down, after miscalculating the height of their tank. The M3 Lee tank had a rather high profile, so that it was visible to the sharp eyes of Miho; on her order, Hana shot it clear.

"Not again," Aya moaned. "Saki, couldn't you have told us that it was coming?"

Saki, the silent member of the team, did not say anything. She stared into the ceiling.

"She actually did point out something," said Azusa, groaning. "Just that by then, it was too late."

"We're not alone," Yuuki, the radio operator, noted.

"How did they get us?" Erwin moaned through the radio. "We were low and hidden!"

"Miho was the one who advised us," said Caesar, the loader of the team. Her red Roman scarf covered her head from the blast. "So, she would obviously know that we will hide and ambush!"

"But that was so close!" Saemonza, the gunner of the team, groaned. "I almost got her!"

"But she moved at the last minute!" admitted Oryou, the driver. "I can't believe that she actually retreated! She was moving forward, when she suddenly stopped!"

"She's our commander, after all," Erwin sighed, but grinned. "Let's go."

* * *

"Did you stop, Mako?"

"N-no."

Mako paled, when the tank suddenly braked, even though she did not hit the brakes. For some reason, Miho knew that something was going to strike her tank, and even thought that she noticed the hole of a gun in the distance. However, the thought of something _odd_ with the tank distracted her, so she was surprised when the tank suddenly braked. The shell of the StuG III (the Hippo's tank) exploded only a few centimeters in front of her.

"And Hana . . ." Miho did not need to finish.

Hana made no face, but Miho could tell that she was sweating.

"The turret moved, right?" she asked.

"Y-yes," Hana stuttered, which was unusual for her. "I did not even turn it. Once I saw the tank, however, I just shot."

"I-is this tank . . ." Mako did not want to finish her sentence.

Now, only two other teams remained. The Anteater Team and the Leopon Team, shocked at the amazing performance of the Anglerfish Team, banded together and escaped to a corner of the battlefield.

"O-OK!" Miho told her friends. "Saori, turn off the transmissions. Mako, move to that area nearby; it has enough shrubs and trees to hide our tank. We all need to talk."

* * *

 **5 minutes later . . .**

"OK!" she told her crew. "What is happening?"

"What do you remember?" asked Hana. "I remember that you were the first to come here."

"Y-yeah," she answered. "Now that I think about it, there was something odd about it."

"What do you remember?" asked Yukari; even she was shaking a little.

"I remember that the tank emitted a faint, white glow," she recalled. "When I approached it, it stopped glowing. Wondering what they was, I walked around it. Suddenly, I heard a metallic sound . . . of our tank moving its turret."

Silence.

"W-well," she continued. "I suddenly told it: 'Stop turning.' And it stopped. Then, now that I think about it, I realize that the tank looks a little different . . ."

"How so?" asked Hana.

"We did not get it polished," she continued. "Yet it looked as if it was in perfect condition. I remember seeing a scar on the far right side of the tank, which we did not fix, because it would cost a lot of money. Now, that scar is gone. Furthermore, I remember that the tank somehow felt a little larger than usual; even its armor was a little too well-made."

"I think we all agree," stammered Saori. "For me, the radio was weird. When I turned it, I normally would have to adjust it. For some reason, it was exactly right when I turned it on. And I heard a faint voice . . ."

Mako shivered at that thought. She hated ghosts.

"It sounded like a conversation," she said. "I heard only bits and pieces, but I remember the words 'Corporation' and 'Project Portal' clearly."

Saori became silent, turning a little pale in the face. Mako slowly scooched over to Saori's side, trying to stay close to her close friend. She was already pale in the face, and sweating profusely.

"I also find the tank mysterious," Hana said. "It smelled different. Cleaner and . . . North American."

The others looked at her, a little startled by her word choice.

"North American?" Miho asked.

"I remember meeting an American foreigner," Hana continued. "He visited Ooarai by accident, and was lost. I pointed him to the correct location (Tokyo). As gratitude, he gave me a special perfume. It read: 'Smell the Aroma of the American East. A Marvelous Combination of Maple, Oak, and Pine.' I smelled it, but found it odd. One of my mother's acquaintances, however, recognized the smell, because he lived in the US for a while. He said that it _is_ the smell of America."

"And I notice something too!" Yukari blurted out. "Remember all those big boxes?"

Everybody gasped.

"They all fit into this tank behind us nicely!" she cried out. "Normally, tanks are cramped inside. But don't you all feel so . . ."

"So much space!" Saori said, stretching out. "Mm! I can even stretch my legs without hitting my friends! Wait . . . That's not normal . . ."

"And I agree," said Mako. The others could tell that she was scared. "Something's not right with this tank. Even the controls feel a little too _easy_ to use."

"And we moved so easily too!" Yukari realized.

"And the gun did not sound as loud," Hana commented. "In fact, I think that's why the others did not see it coming. Our shells somehow were . . ."

"Silenced," Yukari finished her sentence. "As if we added a silencer to the tank's gun. But that's impossible!"

"And look!" Mako shivered, pointing at something. They looked down, and gasped.

"An anti-accident system?" Yukari yelled. "That's not a part of a Panzer IV?"

"W-what happened to our tank?" Hana suddenly shivered. "It's definitely not a ghost, but the sudden changes of our tank are . . . disturbing."

 _Boom!_

"They're coming!" Miho cried out.

"We better tell the others!" Yukari cried out. "Tell them-"

"Wow!"

Everybody cried out, when the tank suddenly lunged forward. Mako immediately braked, but the tank tried to bolt again. Shells after shells from the remaining teams tried to knock their tank down.

"It's too dangerous!" Miho called out. "Move forward!"

The tank moved forward, and stopped bolting when Mako made it go.

"So the system is on, after all," Hana said. "It's no ghost; it's just a . . ."

"Computerized system that analyzes its surroundings," Yukari commented.

"How do you know such stuff?" asked Saori. "Aren't you more of an expert on WWII-era military equipment?"

"Hehe," she blushed. "Well, sometimes, new things are very attractive."

"Girls," Miho called out. "We'll need to keep moving. Mako, zigzag back and forth. Hana, prepare the turret. Saori, reconnect our transmissions. Yukari, load the gun."

"Wait," she cried. "I don't see any shells nearby!"

 _Boom!_

"Just find any!" Miho yelled. "Keep your heads calm. Let's finish this, then explain later!"

Yukari looked around the back. She saw plenty of shells there, which frightened her.

"I don't remember seeing so many shells there!" she groaned. "Who did this?"

Suddenly, she glimpsed something: a very shiny, smooth shell. It looked like the other shells, but cleaner.

"Aha!" she cried, grabbing it. It felt unusually heavy, but she loaded it in anyway.

"Ready!" she called out to Miho.

Miho nodded, and directed Hana to direct the gun.

"Ready . . ."

"Set . . ."

"Ute!"

Click!

Nothing happened. Suddenly, the shells struck the turret.

"Our back's hit!" Yukari cried out. "It's over!"

"It's not!" Miho called out, opening the hatch door. "We're hit, but there aren't any white flag out! OK! Hana! Turn the turret around, and shoot at a random target to distract the other teams!"

"Got it!" she cried, turning it around. The other tanks saw it, and recommenced firing. Mako made the tank move faster and faster, a little faster than anticipated.

"Wow!" Yukari cried out. "This is definitely more 42 km per hour!"

"What do you mean?" Saori cried out, starting to panic. The mystery of the tank and the current situation were starting to get on her nerves.

"It's the tank," Miho said, keeping her cool. "Mako, keep going. Hana, ready?"

"Ready?" she aimed it at a large boulder in front of her. The impact should make it shatter, causing some confusion among the other teams.

"Ute!"

The gun blasted a shell. Suddenly, the shell turned bluish-white, and exploded before it hit the boulder.

"Move it!" Miho called out, and Mako drove it. Before anybody knew it, however, they were going straight into a mysterious circle of white and blue.

"Wait, that is-"

"AAAAAAAAAHHHHH!"

* * *

"Miho-san?"

Nekota, the leader of the Anteater Team, opened her hatch to look. She could not believe it. She saw Miho and her team shoot at a boulder, but the boulder did not explode. Instead, what looked like a swirling circle of white and blue appeared before the boulder, and the tank, as if drawn to it like a magnet, charged into it. Then, as soon as that happened, the circle disappeared!

"Miho-san?" she repeated, too stunned to realize her other friends, Momoga and Piyotan, were tugging at her skirt.

"What was that?" Nakajima, the leader of the Leopon Team, showed up. She was running towards the boulder, inspecting it. When she turned around, her face paled.

"They are gone," she replied. "The tank tracks suddenly disappeared at the mark where that thing was!"

"That was a real portal," Nekota gasped. "To be a real one like in real life . . . I only saw it in games, but this is unlike anything . . ."

Nekota was still stunned, and her friends had to take her out with them to let her cool down. Yet even they were stunned, and soon collapsed along with their leader.

"Hoshino!" Nakajima cried out to the a dark-skinned girl with medium-long black hair. "Check the Anteater!"

"Got it!" she cried, running to the three panting figures.

"Suzuki!" Nakajima called out to another dark-skinned girl. "Come with me to check this!"

"Y-yes," she stammered. She also was shocked.

"Tsuchiya!" Nakajima yelled at her driver. "Go back to the tank, drive it, and get the others! They need to know this!"

She nodded, and dived into her tank. While driving it, she could not help but breathe heavily.

"What's going on!" a voice roared from the radio. "We haven't heard from you for a while!"

"This is Tsuchiya!" the driver stuttered.

"Hey! What's taking you all so long?"

"Get Anzu-san, please!"

"Anzu!"

"What's up?" the curious voice of Anzu called from the radio.

"We have an emergency," she answered.

"Huh?"

"They're gone," she blurted out, crying. "They're gone. Miho and her team, gone."

Silence. She heard Anzu drop the phone.

"Where are they?" Anzu slowly asked, picking it up.

"I don't know," she answered. "I saw something like a portal and boom! They're gone."

"H-how can that be . . ." Anzu stammered. "Miho, where are you? Who _are_ you?"

* * *

"Ouch!"

Miho groaned, as she messaged her back. Her head felt a little dizzy.

"W-what happened?" she said to herself. "Wait! Girls!"

She looked at the others. They were unconscious, but other than that looked alright. She breathed deeply, and gasped.

"Wait," she realized. "Why is the air so weird? Are we in a forest?"

She lifted up the hatch to see what happened. She gasped. They were in the middle of a grassy plain, but not far away, she saw farms, forests, and a road.

"A road," she said, but she noticed hundreds of cars flashing by. She was startled to see so many cars on such a lonely road.

"Is this Japan?" she said to herself. "Wait!"

She went down, and nudged her comrades.

"Saori-chan! Hana-chan! Yukari-chan! Mako-chan!"

"Hmm?" Saori woke up, and yawned. "Are we there yet?"

"No!" Miho cried out, waking up Hana nearby.

"Miho-san?" she replied, yawning. "Are we done?"

"We're not," Miho answered.

"W-wait!" Saori remembered. "We were fighting in a match and we shot something and-"

"And went through a portal," Hana said. Miho heard a little nervousness underneath her calm voice.

"W-what are we going to do?" Saori cried.

"Hana-chan, try and wake up the others. Saori-chan, try and work the radio. I am going out to scout," Miho told them.

The others nodded, as Miho hopped out and walked away for a while.

"Mako!" Saori roared at her friend. "Get up!"

"Hmm?" Yukari nearby woke up. "Normally, a Panzer IV does not have a teleportation system or something."

"And you are right," Saori pouted. Yukari suddenly blinked, and regained her composure.

"W-wait!" she recalled. "I-I remember! And we are . . ."

"Mmmm . . . Grandma . . . Give me a few more . . . Saori . . . Just a little more sleep."

"MAKO!" she roared into her friend's ears. Mako opened her eyes a little, then closed them, pretending to snore.

"Where are we?" Yukari stuttered.

"Wherever the portal put us through," Hana answered, which suddenly woke Mako up.

"Oh!" she remembered, and began to shiver. "I hope there's no ghost here, wait. There is none. But . . ."

"Girls!" Miho cried out to them. "Get us to a road nearby!"

"To that black road?" asked Yukari.

"No!" she answered, going into the hatch. "I saw a dirt road there. We better hide our tank in the bushes nearby for now."

"Roger that!" the others agreed. They all did not say it, but knew something: they were not on their ship.

After a few minutes, the tank rested behind a line of bushes, and the five girls all jumped out and approached the road.

"What is this?" Miho wondered around. "The trees look so different."

"And the houses look weird!" Saori commented.

"And it smells different," said Hana, sniffing. "More pollen. Less pollution."

"And no tanks around?" Yukari moaned.

"We're not on our ship, for sure," Mako said nonchalantly.

"Girls!" Miho called out to them. She apparently ran towards something green and shiny. The others ran to her.

"It's a sign!" Miho said, pointing at it. They all looked.

"It is not in Japanese!" Hana realized with a start.

"It's English!" Saori blurted out, and immediately began to read them.

"Charlottesville 107 miles South," she read. "Centreville 27 miles North."

"Come again?" the others asked. Suddenly, Mako reached down to grab something.

"Eww!" Saori said. "That's dirty, you know!"

"Saori . . ." Mako said in a strangely low voice, dropping the pamphlet. Saori glanced it, and paled.

"W-we are . . ."

Mako nodded slowly, and it dawned on all of them.

The pamphlet was dusty from the elements, but the letters were clear as day:

WELCOME TO THE LAND OF THE FREE, HOME OF THE BRAVE!

THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA!

"We are in America," Miho whispered. "The United States of America."

* * *

 **Oh yeah! Two chapters in two days! What a ride! I had no intention to do this, but for some reason, as if even God himself told (which I believe He did) me to do it, I finished them all! Yay! Now, I may go back and revise and edit these! However, let's get to the point.**

 **Originally, this chapter was supposed to show their interaction with the US environment more. However, due to the sheer size of this chapter, I decide to focus on that on the next chapter. I will explore the side of Japan and the President, but those are minor. The central point is the girls' journey through the US, both trying to escape from authority and trying to get home. That is the whole point of the title: Girls und Odyssey. I hope that this will work out well! Panzer vor!**

 **P.S. Please review on where the girls should go! My first idea is the Manassas National Battlefield Park and the northern Virginia. I intend the girls travel with a purpose in mind, not randomly moving around. Let me know!**


	4. Chapter 4: Welcome to the US

**Chapter 3.5 is now gone, and say hello to Chapter 4: Welcome to the US! Thank you to the three people who voted on my poll, and all of them were in the "No" category. Hence, I will say that this will be in the fictional 2010's, and that things are around the same time as our time. However, the President will remain the President, no names attached. And no, I am not going to talk about the "great wall," unless I think that will be important for the plot.**

 **This essentially means that the President will remain a minor character. From this chapter on, the girls will become truly the main characters. They will go on a wild adventure, especially when their tank seemingly creates portals on random! This will put them in the craziest places possible; hopefully, this will keep the audience wanting more.**

* * *

 **Girls und Odyssey**

 **Chapter 4: Welcome to the US**

 **June 25, 20XX**

 **5:45PM Sunday, Eastern Standard Time**

 **Washington D. C.: The White House**

The President sat in the Oval Office, slightly exhausted. Being a President was no easy job, but right now he had a pile of papers to sign.

"What a job," he muttered to himself.

Furthermore, the idea of the "Project Portal" laid heavy in his heart. The secrecy of it all irritated him; why did they have to hide it, even from the President?

"Arghh!" he cried out. "I have had enough!"

He reached for something underneath his table. Taking it out, he dialed on what looked like a flip cell phone.

 _Ring._

 _Ring._

 _Ring-click!_

"Hello?"

"It is I," the President answered in a low voice.

"Initiate the reconnaissance?"

"10-4."

* * *

At the same time, but in Japan Standard Time . . .

 **June 26, 20XX**

 **7:45AM Monday, Japan Standard Time**

 **Ooarai High School carrier**

"Everybody!"

Anzu roared, in order to quiet down the raucous crowd in front of her. All the girls in the club were whispering, crying, and talking at the same time, shocked at the revelation.

"I know you all are nervous!" Anzu coughed from screaming out loud. Momo gave her a handheld speaker. "T-thanks," she answered, taking it and adjusting its volume.

"I know that this is serious," she spoke through the speaker. "But please, quiet down!"

The whole crowd went silent, although a good number of them continued to sob and whisper.

"OK," she cleared her throat. "Let's get to the point: we were on a friendly, all-out match between all of us and the Anglerfish Team. It was a 'revenge match' for the very first match back when we first revived the Senshado. However, once again, the Anglerfish Team was defeating us one-by-one."

"So," cried out Erwin, with right hand hand. "Technically, they won."

A low murmur went through the crowd.

"No!" Momo roared. "We have three more on our side!"

"But," Oryou, the Hippo Team driver, spoke. "Back then, there were four against one; this one was seven against one."

Another low murmur emanated.

"Enough!" Momo roared, but her face betrayed her realization.

"She's right," Anzu said nonchalantly. "But she was winning again. Only the Anteater and the Leopon teams remained, and both decided to battle it out. However, getting to the point, they were the only eyewitnesses to what happened."

"Let me see," she continued. "The first to contact us was Tsuchiya, the driver of the Leopon Team. That was because she was the one driving and contacting us on the radio. From what we heard, both teams were firing upon Miho, but they witnessed a portal of some sort."

"A portal?" the whole club roared in confusion.

"I-I cannot believe it!" stuttered Nekota, coming out. "I-I was one of the first to see it! Miho's team fired out a strange, silver-ish shell, which suddenly created a white-and-blue hole in front of a boulder!"

"We saw it, too!" Momoga and Piyotan replied.

"Tsuchiya was the first to see it for us," Nakajima said, sweating a little. "When she said about a portal, I thought she was a little crazy."

"Hey!" Tsuchiya groaned. "But it was so bizarre . . ."

"Suzuki and I," said Hoshino. "Saw it too, and . . . yeah."

"But I did hear something from them on the radio," said Nekota.

Everybody turned to look at her.

"Wait," said Nakajima. "Normally, we all can hear the same thing, don't we?"

"Yeah," said Nekota. "But now that I think back, our tank was closer to Miho's, and I heard something funny . . ."

Silence.

"It-it was like a message of something," she continued. "S-something like 'Transmission Blocked . . . But I think our tank was closer, so I heard Miho's cry of something like 'Move it!' and 'Wait, is that.' Suddenly, I heard all of them scream, and they . . . were gone."

"How close was your tank?" asked Anzu.

"About 500 yards away from the tank," said Nekota.

"Mine," said Nakajima. "Was about 750 yards away."

"And we all heard it, too!" Momoga and Piyotan cried out in unison.

"It's apparent," said Nekota in a whisper. "That there was something _weird_ with Miho's tank. None of us have a transmission disruptor or something."

"Did they add something to their tank?" asked Azusa. "I-I don't think Miho would do that kind of stuff!"

"She never did," said Nakajima. "We're the mechanics here! We do all the fixing! She never told us about this, so I don't think she's the kind to do so!"

"I think I know."

Everybody turned to look at _her_. Saki Maruyama was a first-year young girl who was known for one thing: not speaking. Almost as if mute, Saki rarely talked, but her friends in the Rabbit Team knew what she had in mind. If she did speak, she spoke in a rather nonchalant tone. So, when she spoke up with a little nervousness in her voice, it was a rare moment. Even her whole team stepped back in shock.

"I saw her," she continued. "Not long ago, on June 22, I saw her leave the garage around 5:00 PM. She was still her usual self, as usual. I secretly admire her, along with my Rabbit friends. But I saw a white ball of light move nearby the garage."

Silence. All of the girls either had pale faces, sweated profusely, or both. It was hard for them to tell which one was scarier: the mysterious ball of light, or the fact that Saki spoke so much.

"Saki . . ." Azusa spoke hesitantly. "Go . . . on, please . . ."

"The ball seemed to have a purpose," Saki continued. "It then went into the garage, and Miho did not see it. She left. I saw it go in. So, I went inside. I saw nothing, except for her tank. I went around. No ball of light. But the tank did glow a little."

She fell silent.

"G-go on," Azusa persuaded her, yet her voice shook. "T-tell us what happened."

"The tank looked like the same old," she continued. "Then, I saw it."

Silence. Now, everyone was starting to shake. Even Anzu, despite her nonchalant face, flinched.

"The tank turret moved," she continued, ignoring the gasps from the crowd. "There was no one in there, I checked inside. But the tank felt weird. It looked quite clean, and I saw arms come out of it."

"Arms?!" many of the girls cried out.

"Some kind of mechanical arms," she replied, ignoring the sighs of relief from them. "Appeared from the gaps of the tank, and started to . . . fix the tank."

"Wait," said Nakajima, realizing with a start. "So that's why she did not tell us to fix the tank. She checked it, but found no damage or anything to fix. I thought it felt _too_ clean and _too_ perfectly fixed. And I know that none of the Anglerfish Team members are experts at mechanics!"

"And," Saki said. "I heard something on the radio."

Everybody in the room stared at her again, faces paler than ever before. A few of them started to shake, as if about to faint.

"What did it say?" asked Azusa.

"In English," Saki said. "I cannot understand all of it, but something about 'Project' and '51' or something."

"And?" asked Azusa, but dropped the question. Saki went back to her usual self. She stopped talking, and just stared into space again.

"Ahem . . ." Anzu spoke through the speaker, but in a low, hesitant voice. Everybody stared at her, glad to be over with the "incident."

"I-I think," said Anzu. "That we'll keep this a secret, for now. I will call you all one-by-one, file the reports, and try and deal with this."

"W-what are we going to do about their parents?" asked Erwin.

"Ah," said Yuzu. "That's a good question."

"Wait," said Anzu, eyeing the horizon. The school carrier was starting to dock on a port nearby. She smiled.

"Let's make an excuse," she said. "That we're on a field trip. A very long one."

"And a good one," said Saki. Anzu sweated at that.

* * *

In only one or two hours later, Anzu announced through e-mails and phone calls that the whole Senshado Club was on a "surprise field trip."

"We've got to find a way to deal with this!" said Momo, shaking as she packed up her belongings for the trip. "H-how can we explain this to authority?"

"But good thing we're in summer break," Yuzu said. She also shook, packing up her items to carry for the long trip ahead.

"We'll try and find a way," said Anzu, trying to be as calm as possible. "Just I hope that Miho will _be_ alright . . ."

"Student Council?"

All three members turned around. Saki stood in front of their room. They all stopped to stare at her.

"W-what is it?" asked Anzu.

"I . . ." she began. Saki breathed out a little, and shivered.

"I remember another thing," she finally spoke it out. "When I was in the tank, checking for Miho and her comrades, I found something in the tank."

She took it out, put it on Anzu's table, and silent left.

Anzu, Momo, and Yuzu all looked at the paper. All of the words were very large, bold, and in capital letters:

 **PROJECT PORTAL**

 **AREA 51**

 **SUCCESS**

 **STATUS: MISSING**

"What is this?" asked Momo.

"Area 51?" asked Yuzu.

"And it was in Miho's tank," said Anzu. "After that mysterious ball . . ."

She fell silent. She stared into space, like Saki, but in deep thought.

"Prez?" asked Yuzu.

"Yuzu," she spoke. "Keep this document. We'll need it for something bigger . . ."

* * *

 **June 25, 20XX**

 **5:45PM Sunday, Eastern Standard Time**

 **Somewhere in the farmlands of northern Virginia . . .**

"I-is this a field trip?"

Saori said what everybody wished was true. All five of them were stunned, standing there as still as stone. The revelation of their tank, and the fact that they all were in the US, gave them one of the biggest shocks of their lives. Now, they were in the middle of nowhere, just a vast expanse of American farms, forests, and a single highway.

"W-what should we do?" Yukari hesitantly asked.

"The radio!" Saori blurted out, and dashed to their tank.

"W-wait! Saori-chan!" Miho called out, but she was gone. "Girls, let's go!"

The others nodded. Into this strange, new world, they all decided that sticking together was the only option. The four followed their panicky member, going through shrubs and trees to find their location. Miho was the first to reach the location, but she stopped cold.

"Miho-san?" asked Hana, but she also fell silent.

Yukari and Mako finally arrived, but they all gasped. The tank was still there, but it changed colors. Normally of a reddish tinge, it was in a color of green and brown, so that it was well-camouflaged. However, that was not the shocking part. Saori herself was standing still, pale as a ghost. She stood to the right of the tank, but to the left . . .

A man with a bushy beard, a worn hat, and a heavy overall stood to the left of the tank. He grunted, as he cocked his shotgun.

Everybody was silent. Now, in the middle of nowhere, a man with a gun was standing in front of five high school girls, who had no guns, no protection, and no idea of where they were. The man alone had a gun; the girls only had a tank. However, the tank was useless when it had no people in it to function; hence, the man had the advantage here.

Now, the man slowly grunted, making the others tremble. Then, he spoke only one question:

"Wanna come to my farm?"

He spoke in plain, American English. Unfortunately, the girls in front of him were all Japanese. The good news was that they all took English classes.

"Uh . . ." Miho was the first to speak. Giving a curtsy, she approached the man. The man grunted in approval.

"Not . . . Ingrish speaker . . . but . . . I . . . can say a lit-to," Miho said.

"Nice English," said the man, smiling. Miho suddenly blushed; he reminded her of Santa Claus.

"Ho-ho-ho!" the man spoke. The others loosened up, sighing in relief. He really _did_ look and sound like Santa Claus. Even Saori warmed up to the man, and approached him cautiously.

"Hello," she greeted. "H-how may we help you or something?"

"Oh!" the man spoke. "Perfect English!"

"Where did you learn that so fast?" Yukari cried out in Japanese to her.

"Hey! English is one of my favorite topics!" she pouted, but in Japanese. "And isn't that the language of Hollywood or something?"

"You guys," the man said, smiling. "Want some rest? Come with me."

All of them understood him quite well, except Hana.

" _G-gomen-nasai_?" she spoke.

"Hana!" Saori hissed at her old friend. "Speak English!"

"Ho-ho-ho!" the man laughed. "Just go to that barn over there."

He pointed it with his right index finger. All of the girls stared at the horizon, and saw a simple barn not far away.

"Drive through the forest," he told them. "And carefully come with me. You know what will happen if the police find out about a 'runaway tank' these days . . ."

The man turned around and walked towards the same barn in the distance. "That's my farm," he told them. "Take your time to carefully come!"

The others looked at each other, and Miho nodded. They all went back into their tank, which felt both familiar and strange at the same time. Mako started to turn the engine, but noticed something.

"Miho," she said.

"Yes?" Miho asked.

"What are these?"

They all looked. On the right side of the driver's seat was a set of buttons and screens. All of the buttons, however, were in a variety of colors, including the labels on them. A blue one with yellow labels flashed out: CLOAK.

"Cloak?" asked Saori. "Some kind of an invisibility button?"

"How do you know?" asked Hana.

"Yukarin told me," she answered. Yukari blushed in the background.

"Mako," began Saori. "Let Mipo-"

 _Click._

Mako pressed the button, and the whole tank started to shake, then was still.

"Nothing?" asked Saori.

"It _is_ cloak," Miho gasped, her head outside of the hatch. The others opened their own hatches, and gasped.

The whole tank was invisible. Even their hatches were invisible, from the outside. Only the interior walls and everything inside were unaffected.

"This is so cool!" exclaimed Saori. "Tank with invisibility? Awesome!"

"What a game changer!" cried out Yukari, beaming with joy. "This is so much better than sneaking into a school carrier!"

"Girls," Miho said calmly. The others turned to look at her, in silent respect.

"Let's try out the tank," she told them. "After we go to the farm."

The others agreed. Even in tense situations like this, Miho kept her cool.

"Good thing you have that Nishizumi style of combat," said Yukari with a squeal. "Do you guys learn about more than just survival?"

"Well," she said, blushing a little. "We also learned English and German. A lot."

Miho suddenly saw the same man wave in the distance.

"Let's go for now," she told them. "And plan our next move."

The others nodded, as Mako revved up their tank to move towards their first destination . . .

* * *

 **April 25, 20XX**

 **6:00PM Sunday, Eastern Standard Time**

 **Somewhere in the farmlands of northern Virginia . . .**

"So, girls," said the same man. "What bring you all _all_ the way here?"

"Umm . . ."

The girls were all now at the table, waiting for the man's wife to prepare the food. It was a cozy dining room with a rustic feel, befitting a rural home. Four of the girls sat on the edges of the rectangular table, big enough to fit six people. Miho, however, sat on the far end of the table, while the man sat on the other end.

"Oh!" the man realized. "I forgot to tell you all my name. I am Martin. Martin Ranger."

"Thank you for your hospitality," all of the girls replied, bowing. Apparently, all of them practiced their English ahead of time.

"No need to bow," said Martin. "We're Americans here."

"Honey!" Martin's wife called out. "Help me here! Your ribs are burning!"

"Mary!" Martin moaned. "How many times did I tell you about barbecuing!"

He sighed, while the girls giggled.

"Sorry, girls," he told them. "Hold on, as I need to go and assist."

Martin got up from his seat, and walked with a military gait into the kitchen. While the couple was in the kitchen to deal with their cooking, the girls started to talk among themselves.

"They're so nice," Miho remarked.

"Smells so good!" Saori exclaimed.

"I wonder how American food taste like," Hana pondered.

"It's America!" Yukari roared.

"Dessert time," Mako just said.

"Mako!" Saori yelled at her. "Have some manner, please!"

"What should we do?" asked Miho. "We can't really pay them back."

"Oh . . ." Saori recognized. "I guess we can pay them back someday."

"You don't have to!" Martin roared from the kitchen. Saori and Miho both jumped at that.

"Good," Mako said. "Problem solved."

"Mako!" Saori admonished her. "Don't take this too lightly."

"Well," she replied. "We need every blessing in this land."

"Good point," said Hana. "We _are_ foreigners in a foreign land, you know?"

"Say," said Yukari in a low whisper, and everybody craned in together. "Let's check our tank."

"After you get good food, and good sleep!" Mary yelled from the kitchen. "You girls sure look tired!"

"O-oh!" Miho replied. "T-thank you!"

"You're welcome!" Martin yelled. "And your English is perfect!"

"T-thank you!" she answered. "I-I re-practiced it on our ride here."

"And that fast?" asked Saori. "How did you remember so fast?"

"She's the leader," Mako said nonchalantly. "Don't question her survival power."

Saori pouted, but everyone smiled in agreement.

"Sorry to keep you all up!" Martin said. "We'll be ready soon!"

* * *

 **An hour later . . .**

"And here we are!"

Martin and Mary piled the table high with plates after plates of food. All of the girls were . . . more than a little hungry.

"Wow . . ." Miho and Saori both stared in amazement.

"It's amazing," Hana remarked.

"Oh . . ." Yukari was drooling.

"Let's get to the sweets," Mako commented.

"Mako!"

"I mean, after the entrees."

Laughter filled the whole room, as Martin seated back to his place.

"So," said Martin. "How do you guys do your thing?"

"Huh?" asked Miho.

"He's talking about etiquette," explained Saori.

"Oh!" Miho understood. "In Japan, we say 'Itadakimasu' before we eat."

"Ita-da-ku-miso?" Martin tried to pronounce it. Giggles filled the room, and he blushed.

"OK!" Martin shook himself. "In America, for many of us, we say grace."

"How do you do that?" asked Hana.

"First," said Martin. "Let's see what you do."

"Itadakimasu!" all five girls cried out (their hands were in the proper posture), but only Mako started to get into her food.

"Mako!" Saori hissed. "We're not done yet!"

"Please . . ." grunted Mako, as she put down her fork, smeared in barbecue sauce.

Saori sighed, as she and the others directed their focus back to their hosts.

"That simple?" Martin wondered. "OK, for your sake, we'll keep ours short."

Martin and Mary both bowed down their heads, putting their hands together. Everybody except Mako did the same. Mako, noticing that no one was looking, slowly touched her fork with her right index finger, and tried to lick the sauce from it.

"Mako . . ." Saori hissed. She saw her. Mako groaned, and wiped her finger off with her napkin, and bowed her head down.

"Grace," he prayed. "Thank you."

"Grace!" the others replied.

"Alright!" Martin roared. "Just eat 'em all!"

* * *

"What is this?"

"What's this?"

"Is this American?"

The girls bombarded the couple with questions after questions, as they tried out a variety of dishes, known and unknown.

"Is this KFC?" asked Yukari, munching on a piece fried chicken thigh. "Oh! So oily, and so juicy!"

"Stop making me feel that!" Saori moaned, piling her food with what she thought was salad. "At least I have these cooked greens or something . . ."

"That's cooked kale and collard greens," said Mary. "Relatives of the cabbages and radishes from Japan."

"Oh!" Saori exclaimed, and piled her dish high with steaming leaves.

"Get your nutrition," Mako commented nonchalantly, as she feasted on her Buffalo wings. Her face and hands were smeared with sweet barbecue sauce, and she licked herself with silent passion.

"Unfortunately," said Mary. "Cooked greens also come cooked in butter and bacon."

Saori paled, but swallowed and just continued to eat.

"This is amazing," said Hana, as she took a whole hunk of ham away.

"Um," said Martin. "That's enough for three people."

"She actually can eat all that," said Saori.

"She can?" Martin and Mary both asked, their faces etched with shock.

"I thought Japanese eat less than that," said Mary, feeling a little nauseous.

"Bacon-wrapped oysters!?" exclaimed Yukari, munching on skewers of oily goodness. "I never heard of these!"

"We call them angels on horseback," said Martin. "Funny, huh?"

All five girls imagined angels with bacon wings riding on oyster shells, and chuckled a little.

"Mako!" Saori cried at Mako. "You're eating too many wings!"

"These are great," Mako grunted, crunching on Buffalo wings. "I saw these before, but none this juicy or saucy. Hmm . . . sweet!"

"You said this is a corn dog, right?" Miho asked, wielding a golden-brown, sausage-shaped skewer on a stick. The bitten top exposed the real hot dog underneath. " _Oishee_!"

" _Oishee_?" asked Mary.

"I guess that means 'delicious?'" speculated Martin, to which Miho nodded.

"By the way," said Martin, as he and the others continued to eat. "How did you all get here?"

All of the girls stopped eating, and looked at each other. Mako nonchalantly sucked on the barbecue sauce on her fingers.

"I think it's going to be tough, huh?" asked Martin. He then leaned on his chair, which squeaked in complaint. He coughed, then started to stare at the girls before him with a strange eye. The girls started to listen more closely; they could tell that he wanted a serious talk.

"Let me get to the point," he said in a strangely serious voice. "In the middle of nowhere, you all somehow ended up in the United States of America. To make matters worse, you girls are in the Senshado, what we Americans call Tankery. To make matters even worse, the US recently abolished the sport, so the use of tanks by civilians is technically . . . illegal."

The girls looked at each other again, this time with a worrisome eye.

"I want to say this, in order to warn you girls," he continued. Mary stood by, looking back and forth. She clearly cared for the girls.

"A few years ago, the US government issued a very famous referendum of some sort. Known as the 'Tankerxit' now, it was a special vote for millions of Americans to vote whether to keep the Tankery in or not. By a close upset, the Anti-Tankery side narrowly won. It caused quite a commotion when it did occur, but by now most of us Americans are used to the new situation. Apparently, we quit the Tankery because of both the high costs and the fact that it was closely tied to the stock market here."

The girls continued to listen, trying to understand the situation. Martin coughed, and continued.

"This essentially means that all tanks are now deemed in the hands of the military. All civilians with tanks either had to give up their property, or get special permits to keep them. Those with older tanks were more likely to keep theirs, because they were . . . well, older and hence less useful."

"Wait," Yukari raised her right hand high. "Tankery uses not just WWII-era tanks?"

"Correct," said Martin. "The Tankerxit also had that option, but I guess many Americans either preferred the newer models, or just did not read the questions right. Regardless, when the result was shown, many Americans went ballistic."

"Huh?" asked Miho.

"Flying into a rage," said Saori. "It's sort of like an idiom."

"Riots broke out in the main centers of Tankery throughout the US," continued Martin, frowning. "I cannot believe people vandalized and turned mob over things like that. Some of them, unfortunately, brought their own tanks into the downtowns and started to destroy property."

"Are you serious?" cried the girls.

"And a few infamous ones," said Martin. "Unfortunately loaded their guns and . . ."

He did not need to say more. All of the girls stared, aghast at the news.

"Who would even do such a barbaric thing?" Hana asked, in a mixture of of both English and Japanese. However, Martin completely understood her emotion from her reaction.

"Good thing no one actually died," said Martin, hearing sighs of relief from them. "But that was the last straw. The US government then forced all associates, private owners, and such and such with tanks to comply with the Tankerxit result. Now, most of us live in a world without even seeing a tank."

"When was this?" asked Miho.

"Exactly ten years ago," answered Martin.

"Ten years-wait, that long ago?" Yukari exclaimed. "I-I didn't hear this back in Japan!"

"Well," said Martin. "Japan cares about Japanese news, while America cares about American news. Most news reports do not spread outside of their homelands. I am also surprised to hear that Senshado apparently still is alive and kicking in Japan."

The girls stared at each other. Senshado sure became a Japanese phenomenon.

"How about other countries?" asked Yukari.

"Like I said before, America is America," said Martin. "So, I don't really know about other countries, and whether they still practice it to some degree."

"But we have Internet!" Yukari cried out. "I have been thousands upon thousands of reports, but that of this kind!"

"But," Miho suddenly said. "We're not here to discuss the Tankery by country or news; we have to learn how to get out of here."

"Exactly!" exclaimed Martin. "That's why I am telling you all this. I don't know how you girls somehow ended up in the middle of nowhere here, but a group of Japanese girls in a WWII-era tank in the middle of post-Tankery America is, well . . ."

"Complicated," the other girls finished his sentence. They all secretly were glad to have taken English classes.

"How was that possible?" asked Martin.

The girls looked at each other, and silently nodded at Miho. Miho cleared her throat, and explained the whole story . . .

* * *

 **April 25, 20XX**

 **8:00PM Sunday, Eastern Standard Time**

 **The Ranger Farm**

"That is how we end up here," said Miho.

Martin and Mary both stared.

"Wow . . ." Mary apparently was amazed.

"Impressive," said Martin. "Something went wrong with your tank, which somehow changed. It then fired some kind of a portal, which led you all to here."

"But how?" asked Yukari. "I remember loading a shell and-wait!"

Yukari concentrated, trying to remember. The others looked at her.

"I-I think I remember," she said. "Among the shells we had, one was of an odd, silver-ish color. I put that last time and . . ."

"That's it!" Miho exclaimed. "We need that shell!"

"Do we have more?" asked Saori.

"I don't know," Yukari replied. "I think we need to check."

The hosts looked at each other, and Mary nodded.

"Girls," Martin caught their attention. "How about you all take a good rest for today? It's too late to go out; anyway, you all also need to know more about the state of the US these days."

The girls looked at each other again, and Miho nodded.

"OK," said Martin. "Let me tell you this: the US may or may not be what you would expect. I've had my fair share of weird ideas people have about the US, and us towards them as well."

"So, why were you so friendly towards us?" asked Saori.

"It's because you all look so scared," said Martin. "And the fact that our original guests canceled their invites at the last minute. Speaking of which, I need to reconsider my friendship with them . . ."

"Which," he continued. "Leads me to another point: be careful with whom you trust. All of those who invited canceled for less-than-good reasons. I guess that they were indeed busy, but they should have warned us ahead of time."

"So that's why you were out," said Miho. "In order to find anyone who can help you all finish the meals."

"Exactly," said Martin. "Now, let's explain about the US in details, as much as I can tell you . . ."

"And get ready," Mary said, yawning. "For a _long_ lecture."

Martin Ranger commenced his long, _long_ lecture about the US, from its cultural and historical foundation to the present status. Miho and the others were not too surprised at some details, such as it having huge military forces and its huge wealth; they already saw that with the Saunders school, which was American-themed. However, there were some things that they learned that they did not see in Saunders: high obesity rate, heavy reliance on cars at the expense of public transportation, obsession with highly sensitive topics (such as racism), and the like.

By the time Martin finished, it was 10:00PM.

"Oh!" Martin realized, looking up at his grandfather clock. It slowly rang out the time.

"Time for bed!" Martin yawned. All of the girls before him yawned as well.

"Oh!" Miho moaned. "T-thank you for the hos-hospi-tall-lity." She kept yawning as she tried to give her thanks.

"Sleep time," Mako put it succinctly. Everybody else agreed.

"I hope you know everything I said," Martin said. "But to be honest, I got a little off-topic, talking about all kinds of US stuff that might not really matter."

"N-no! Ha . . . ha . . . I-I mean that we actually enjoyed it," said Yukari. They actually did. Each girl enjoyed one topic from the long lecture that Martin gave. However, they were too tired to think clearly now.

"OK," Martin shrugged. "But we don't have a bed for five-"

 _Squeeek!_

Everybody stopped and listened.

 _Ka-chunk! Klonk . . . klonk . . . Whoosh!_

"Wait a minute," Yukari whispered. "Isn't that from our tank?"

"Eh . . ." Miho pondered, and slowly stood up.

"You're going?" whispered Saori, shaking.

"Not going, not going," Mako shivered violently. She was even more scared than Saori.

"I-I am going to check it," said Miho.

"Please," said Yukari, getting up. "I am coming with you."

"I want to see, too," said Hana, getting up.

"Then I am going too!" replied Saori. "Mako! We all go together!"

Mako said nothing, but shook her head furiously.

"We are all in this together," said Saori. "We're team, right?"

Miho nodded, and even the Rangers nodded in affirmation. Not wanting to be rude, Mako slowly rose up with the others, but clearly showed her displeasure and fright at the ordeal.

All five girls slowly crept towards the garage that held their tank. The Rangers followed behind; Martin even brought out his gun as a safety measure.

 _Tap, tap, tap._

 _Beep, beep, beep._

 _Bzzzz . . ._

 _Squeeak!_

"It's making quite a noise," whispered Hana.

"Let me be front," whispered Martin. "I better protect you girls."

"Me too," said Miho.

"No, no," said Martin. "You're just a little girl."

"I may be a little girl," Miho whispered back. "But I am a commander and a leader. Leaders take responsibility seriously, including protecting one's friends."

Martin stared back, surprised at the girl's resolve. Mary whistled in approval. All of the girls eyed her with admiration, especially Yukari, who was beaming with fanatical joy. Martin only sighed.

"Alright," he answered. "But keep to my side."

Miho and Martin both approached the door, the only barrier between them and the tank.

 _Squueeakkk!_

 _Ka-chink! Ka-chunk!_

 _Hiss . . . Buzz . . . Fzzz . . ._

 _Click!_

"Ready?" asked Miho. Martin nodded, but stared at her. Miho Nishizumi suddenly had a different face: very focused and determined. Martin remembered seeing her face; it was so innocent and confused. Now, she looked very mature and ready for action.

"Impressive," said Martin. He cocked his gun.

"I am just ready," replied Miho without a second thought.

"That's our Miho!" whispered Saori. The others nodded back.

Then, they opened the door, and gasped.

* * *

 **So, I end this chapter in a cliffhanger, because I realize that the chapter was going a little too long. I originally wanted to show the tank's powers, but I realize that the chapter was going too long. So, once again, please review! I hope this was a realistic way to help the girls to learn more about the US! Panzer vor!**


	5. Chapter 5: Rise and Shine

**Alright, I am still updating the story, and hope that this is worth your time and criticism! So, I am still open to criticism, because I hope that the first few chapters were both detailed and eye-catching. This should be the fun part: exploring the US from the safety of their "magical" tank, and finding out its potential! Oh, and spoiler alert: Saori's radio system is significant in terms of POV (Point of Perspective)!**

* * *

 **Girls und Odyssey**

 **Chapter 5: Rise and Shine**

 **June 26, 20XX**

 **6:00AM Monday, Eastern Standard Time**

 **The Ranger Farm**

" _O-ohayo_."

Miho Nishizumi was the first to wake up, as the first ray of sunlight blazed upon her pale, young face. She squinted, then stretched and yawned.

"Wah!" she suddenly reacted, scrambling to get out of her mattress, and reaching out for the alarm clock that was not there.

"Oh right . . ." she realized. "We're not in Japan anymore."

She found herself standing up, wide awake, and turned around. All her friends were still sleeping, apparently tired from the "ordeal" yesterday. Well, at least their beds were incredibly comfy, in a strange way. Wacking her brain, she tried to remember the day before . . .

 _Awesome!_

 _The tank turned into a mobile home?!_

 _Even with a shower? Yay!_

 _Just sleep._

 _Mako . . . Have . . ._

 _You sound like Sodoko._

 _It's a lovely bed, one for each of us. Right, Miho-san?_

 _Y-yes! Ranger-sa-I mean, Mr. Ranger? Mrs. Ranger? We can sleep on these beds._

 _O-ho-ho! Rest well! I trust you all!_

 _Have a nice sleep! Oh, and stay warm!_

 _Mrs. Ranger! No, no! We have blankets here!_

 _It might be cold outside. Just accept._

 _Oh . . . Arigato._

 _Arigato! Stay warm!_

Miho now remembered. She remembered that their tank had mysteriously transformed into a mobile home. The tank itself looked perfectly "normal," but the front part of the tank had drastically transformed. Instead of a driver's hatch and the usual front, the tank's front had literally opened up, and somehow the tank had assembled five beds: four of them in bunk-bed format. By a unanimous vote, despite her plea, the girls (and the Rangers) voted for Miho to take the single bed.

The single bed looked virtually just like her old bed back in her apartment, in terms of feel. Instead of being plain white, however, the mattress and the blanket were gilded in golden yellow, so that they looked more like exotic rugs.

"Too fancy," she remarked. "But very nice and soft."

" _Ohayoooooo_ ," moaned Saori, waking up. "Wwwhat time issss it?"

Miho looked up to look at a clock. It was a digital clock, attached to a metallic extension of the tank's interior, so that it looked like a screen from a sci-fi film.

"6:00AM," Miho answered. "The time for practice."

"Practi-CCCEEEE!"

Miho jumped at Saori's scream, as she jumped out of her bunk bed, sleeping above Mako. Hana and Yukari shook in their blankets, rubbing their eyes and moaning. Mako, however, just opened one eye and closed it back.

"I am late, I am late!" the panicky girl climbed back up the bed, making it. "Gotta take a shower and eat my meal and go to practice and-and-"

"Saori-chan!" Miho cried out, holding her with both of her hands. Her gentle, warm hands quickly calmed Saori down.

"S-sorry," Saori apologized, blushing. "I-I forgot that we're in America. Hehe."

"Please be gentle in voice," said Hana, yawning. She got up from her bunk, climbing down. Yukari rubbed her eyes, and kicked away the blanket to stand up.

 _Bang!_

"Ouch!" Yukari forgot that she was in a bunk bed, so she hit her head on the upper bed.

"Sorry for that," said Hana calmly.

"N-no, it's my fault," replied Yukari. "At least the bed was so warm . . ."

"Breakfast is ready!" Mrs. Ranger cried out from the kitchen. "Do what you need to do; they'll be waiting!"

"Breakfast!" all of the girls cried out. Even Mako slowly rose from her bed, slowly saying: "Food . . ."

* * *

"I don't know why, but our tank is awesome!" remarked Yukari, and the others agreed. Although the tank had somehow created its own bathroom, it was big enough for only three people: a bathtub and two shower rooms. Hence, after a brief discussion, Miho, Yukari, and Hana decide to use the tank's bathroom, while Mako and Saori went upstairs to use their host's.

"Ah . . ." Miho sighed in deep relief, as she sank into the bathtub. As if it had a mind of its own, the tank filled the tub to the brim with warm water. Furthermore, it put something in the water . . .

 _"My perfume!" Saori groaned. "It-it put it in there!"_

 _"So?" asked Mako. "It's_ ours _, now. The tank knows that's perfume for the bath."_

 _"OK," she sighed. "Miporin, you can use the tub."_

 _"W-wait! Isn't it your-"_

 _"Just use it!" Saori called, dragging her drowsy friend along._

 _"OK . . ." Miho said, undressing and getting into the tub._

"It's so soothing," she remarked to herself.

"Isn't it nice?" said Hana. "The shower is working perfectly! It reminds me of my home's."

"Mine does feel like home, too!" Yukari called out. "Oh! So good . . ."

"Say," said Miho, feeling a lot calmer. "Remember the lecture yesterday?"

"Not much," both girls in the shower admitted. "Except for a few."

"I remember him talking about what being 'nice' is like for Americans," Miho said. "Smiling and a friendly face are apparently a big deal in America."

"I remember him talking about Tankery being abolished," Yukari admitted. "I hate to admit, but that's weird."

"I remember him talking about landscaping in America," Hana noted. "It sounds so beautiful . . ."

"So," Miho inferred. "I guess we remember what matters to us, right?"

The others nodded.

"I wonder whether the other two are talking about the same thing . . ." Miho pondered.

* * *

"Atchoo!"

Saori and Mako both sneezed, trying to use the American bathtub.

"It's big enough for both of us," Saori said.

"No, no," Mako said. "Not gonna do it."

"Oh . . . Sorry," Saori said, closing the tub with the curtain. Mako sat on the floor.

"I think our friends below," Saori continued. "They were talking about whether we remember the lecture."

"I remember the whole thing," Mako said.

"That's because you're so smart!" Saori groaned. "I only remember the parts about boys in America."

"Seriously?" Mako moaned. "You're too much into that, aren't you?"

"I just want to be in love," Saori dreamily said. "Hollywood, surfers . . . Ah . . ."

Mako only rolled her eyes.

"But he sure talked a lot," Mako said. "He sure knew that we're foreigners."

"And we're girls, too," said Saori, now wiping herself with a towel. "Now that I say it, he was particularly big on telling us about security."

"I think I can see why," Mako said. "We're highschool girls. We're on our own, in a scary world."

They were silent, except for the drops of water dripping from the faucet and the shower head. Droplets of water and shampoo dripped down from Saori's long hair. Mako slowly got up.

"Well," she said. "I am done."

"Thank you," Mako said.

Saori went out of the room, as Mako turned up the temperature to make a very hot, steamy shower. Saori stretched out, and shivered.

"Oh!" she realized. "I forgot that the air is a little cold right now. And that lecture . . . He was big on how we can live here . . ."

She shivered again.

"Oh!" she exclaimed again. "I hope to go home . . ."

"Breakfast!" Mrs. Ranger called out. "Are you girls ready?"

"Coming!" she answered. "Mako! Meet me at the table!"

She walked down the hallway, the aroma of fresh food pervading the atmosphere. It soothed her, and made her forget what she was worrying about.

* * *

 **June 26, 20XX**

 **6:30AM Monday, Eastern Standard Time**

 **The Ranger Farm**

"This is what Americans eat?"

Yukari pretty much said what all of her team thought. They knew that it was unlike their own breakfasts, being big on rice, fish, and soybean products. Yukari also remembered seeing American food back in the Saunders school. However, what the Rangers served was a little . . . overwhelming.

"Are we having another feast?" Saori moaned.

"Well," said Mr. Ranger. "You're our guests. And Hana here seems to eat a lot."

Hana tilted her head, a little confused.

"I don't eat a lot," she honestly said. "I just eat what's provided."

All the others were aghast. Miho, Saori, and Yukari stared at her plate, already filled to the brim with eggs, bacon, sausage, hash browns, and tater tots, all on a single, dish-size waffle. Mako just eyed Hana's plate, while munching on her pancakes, heavily laced with honey, maple syrup, and-

"Eww!" Saori made a face at Mako's plate. "Why did you put ketchup on your cakes?"

"Sweet," she bluntly answered. "American ketchup sure tastes sweeter than ours."

Martin Ranger smiled at the girls' antics, but he was curious about one thing: how Japanese girls react to American food. He guessed correctly that they were comparing the real America with an American-themed school back in Japan, because they kept comparing America to "Saunders school." He craned his head to observe their food.

Hana already finished her second plate of food, and was piling her third with a huge portion of eggs, bacon, sausages, and potatoes again.

"How's she so slim despite that," said his wife, in a tone of slight jealousy. "I wish I can be that slim . . ."

He smirked at his wife's reaction, and looked at the others. Mako, the sleepy girl, apparently loved sweet things; her plate had buttermilk pancakes drenched in honey, maple syrup, and now sugar, after Saori took away the only ketchup bottle on the table.

"What is this sugar?" asked Mako. "It's not the white kind I saw back in Japan."

"Turbinado," answered Martin.

All five girls looked at him, as if he said something alien.

"It's a type of raw, brown sugar," he explained. "Said to be healthier than white, because it's less refined."

"Sweet," Mako replied, tearing out more bags of sugar to pour unto her pancakes.

"Mako!" Saori moaned, while the Rangers giggled in the background.

Yukari seemed a little frantic, for some reason.

"You OK?" asked Martin.

"Um . . ." she hesitated.

"She wants rice," Miho said. "And not seeing one makes her fidget a little."

"Welcome to America," said Martin. "Rice is not an American thing, except among the Asians."

She sighed, and got herself some pancakes, which she found delicious. Saori apparently was trying not to eat a lot, although she ended up with a couple of pancakes, drenched in maple syrup, and some eggs.

Miho, however, got what Martin expected.

"Ladies," he called out, getting their attention. "This is how we Americans on average eat."

They all looked at Miho's plate. She had a pile of three pancakes, with a nice amount of maple syrup on top with a single scoop of butter; it also had five strawberries nicely arranged together in a ring encircling the scoop of butter. Next to the cakes, Miho had a few strips of bacon, a single sausage, some eggs piled nicely like a little pyramid, and a round pile of hash browns.

"Except less neat than that," said Mary, giggling.

"That's how you all eat?" asked Yukari.

"Sort of like that," said Martin. "I guess you girls do not know what being 'average American' looks like."

They all nodded.

"Well, if you all don't remember my lecture from yesterday," he began. "There is one thing that I need to tell you: America is not one nation."

The girls stopped eating to listen, except for Mako, who kept gobbling her sweet food.

"America," he said. "Is not one nation. It is called 'the United States of America' with a reason. It has 50 states, each one unique in a way. For most people outside of America, when they think 'America,' they think of New York or California."

"However," he began. "Let me warn you; not all Americans think alike about what being American is. To one, being American is being open-minded and 'secular' and all that 'happy' talk. To another, being American is being patriotic and 'religious' and all that 'moral' talk. I am telling this to warn you girls; what you find OK may offense someone else."

"Speaking of that," said Martin. "Mary, I think you know the next topic more."

"OK," she answered. "Girls, let me tell you one thing that may be very important: culture war."

"Culture war?" asked the girls. Even Mako raised her head high to listen.

"Culture war," said Mary. "Is a particularly American phenomenon. Generally, according to the 'official' definition of most sources I read, a culture war is a conflict between 'traditionalist' and 'liberal' values."

"Huh?" the girls asked.

"I guess you girls in Japan don't have the same type of conflicts," said Martin, sighing. "For some reason, I admire you girls for that."

"Why?" asked Miho.

"You girls are skilled at the use of tanks for simulated war competition, right?" asked Martin.

"R-right," answered Miho. "It's not war, but it _is_ similar to war in some ways."

"Tanks are nothing compared to our own wars," said Martin. The girls were silent.

"In your wars," said Mary. "You know your enemies, where to fire them, and the rules and regulations that ensure a fair fight, right?"

The girls nodded in silent affirmation.

"Culture wars . . ." began Mary. "Are ridiculous. People in America are very sensitive to many topics these days. Abortion, global warming, immigration, privacy, and all sorts of shenanigans can elicit strong, even hostile, responses from normal-looking people. Speaking of which, there are two things that I notice about you girls."

"Huh?"

"You guys do not seem to know two things about America," said Mary. "I remember that Japan does not have any guns, right?"

"Oh yeah!" Yukari cried out. "Even the police do not wield any guns. And our guns are designed to not cause bodily harm in some way."

"Well," said Mary. "In America, mention 'gun control' and you will get extremely hostile responses."

The girls remained silent.

"In your case," said Mary. "It may not apply to you, but our gun control got some update or something, especially after the abolishment of the Tankery. Since then, 'gun' in gun control now includes tanks."

"Oh . . ." was the unanimous reply.

"It makes sense," whispered Yukari. "Since tanks have turrets with cannons."

"Another thing," Martin joined in. "Few things also anger Americans as much as Shintoism."

"Huh?" all of the girls, including Mary, stared at him.

"Eh . . ." Martin said, embarrassed. "Sorry, I am not sure whether 'religion' exists in the Japanese language."

"Religion?" asked the girls.

"We do have that shrine," said Hana. "Isosaki-jinja Shrine in Oarai, Japan."

"Speaking of shrine," said Martin. "Will you guys explain your 'shrine thing' or something? I know nothing about what you girls believe, especially with Shintoism."

The girls looked at each other, and each one explained their best about their own idea of religion, and the Rangers got into it too:

"Shintoism is our word for a religion unique to Japan," said Martin.

"We call it _kami-no-michi_ , the way of the gods or something like that," said Yukari.

"So, are all Japanese Shintoists?" asked Martin.

"No, no," said Hana. "To be honest, we don't think it of that way."

"How so," both Rangers asked, confused.

"Well, to simply put," said Saori. "We go to shrines to pray to kami, but we do not view kami as actual gods."

"They're like genies," said Mako. "Pray, and receive."

"It's not all that," said Miho. "To be honest, we don't really think of ourselves as religious or non-religious. Darjeeling and Kay both explained to me before about the idea of religion in the West."

"Sorry?" asked the Rangers.

"Darjeeling is the leader of a British-themed school, while Kay is the leader of an American-themed one," explained Yukari. "I guess both have some classes on religion."

"They did," said Miho. "And I remember them telling me that Westerners generally view religion differently from we do."

"Hmm," Martin wondered. "Why?"

"Well . . ." said Miho. "To be honest, I-I don't know."

The girls were silent, fidgeting. For the first time ever, the girls had a talk about something they never thought about: religion.

"I understand," said Martin. "Religion is one of those 'unspoken taboos' in America. Cartoon Network, one of our most popular TV shows for example, strictly forbids animators from portraying any sense of 'religion,' although what counts as 'religion' varies by person."

"Maybe you girls are confused," said Mary. "Martin, we need to explain to them."

"Ahem!" said Martin. "Mary, go on."

And the girls were in another lecture. This time, however, the girls were interested.

"Definitions of religion vary by person, research, and even organization," said Mary. "In general, most Americans think of religion as a cultural system of beliefs and practices centered around a divine being of some sort. I gave you the 'professional' definition. Most Americans, however, believe in the 'informal' definition; most think of religion as 'belief in God' with a capital 'G.' Unfortunately, that definition assumes that religions are monotheistic."

"Monotheistic?" asked Yukari.

"Belief in the One and Only kami," said Martin. "Or god."

The girls looked at each other.

"Yeah," Martin said, looking at Mary. Both realized that this was going to be a tough one, but went on . . .

* * *

 **June 26, 20XX**

 **7:30AM Monday, Eastern Standard Time**

 **The Ranger Farm**

"Sorry if we took a while," said Martin. "I guess we had to understand each other's ideas, before we were able to pin it down."

"To be honest," said Miho. "We actually enjoyed it."

Martin grinned, as everybody was trying to understand everything said.

"Religion is order for Americans, but culture for Japanese," said Mako.

"Too weird!" complained Saori. "Religion seems more formal and more serious for Americans than for Japanese."

"I think it's the other way around," Hana gave her opinion.

"We think of religion as visiting a shrine, while Americans think of it as visiting and being a part of the shrine?" inferred Yukari.

"I think," said Miho. "That religion is in the eyes of the beholder."

Everybody stared at her.

"Nicely phrased," said Martin. "See? Americans think of religion as something concrete and easy to identity. In reality, it overlaps with many things."

"Visiting shrines alone," said Hana. "Does not necessarily make us Shintoists."

"Nor does going to churches," said Mary. "Makes one a Christian."

"So, Christianity is the biggest religion in the world, and in America, right?" asked Yukari.

"Quite right," said Martin. "But let me warn you: religion is a double-edged sword that can cut people the right way, or the wrong way."

"And what does this have to do with tank and us?" asked Mako.

"Ah," Martin said. "The whole point of our talks yesterday and today is this: Be careful with what you say. Once you get into the cities, say the wrong words, especially with topics such as Tankery, and you will get hostile reactions."

"Just be careful," repeated Miho. "It seems that Americans are more sensitive at some topics than us Japanese."

"Right," Martin said. "I just care about your safety. To see a confused group of foreign girls in the middle of nowhere with a mysterious, super-advanced tank was a sight to behold. That's why I got into lecturing too much. Any questions?"

No one asked.

"It's just to let you know," said Mary. "I confirm what my husband says: Be careful with what you say; the wrong word can anger many."

"And get you into trouble," said Martin, drenching his cold pancakes with maple syrup. "Of syrupy madness."

"Martin!" hissed Mary. "Watch your sugar level!"

"Aw, come on!" moaned Martin. "We're with sweet girls, so let's sweeten our days after some serious talk."

"You're going out and exercising off the calories!" she hissed.

"OK," he answered, rolling his eyes.

"And girls," Mary said. "You all can go back to your tank and prepare. You said that you all are going up north?"

"Oh yeah!" Miho realized. "Girls! Let's prep!"

"Already?" Martin moaned.

"Martin!" Mary hissed. "You wanted them to help you out with farmwork, don't you?"

"Eh . . ."

"They're girls, not farmers!"

The girls laughed, while Martin grinned slyly. Mary sighed, but smiled in return.

"Oh yeah!" Miho suddenly cried out. "Let's give you all a present!"

"Oh no, no, no!" the Rangers replied. "You all made our day. You don't need to . . ."

The Rangers fell silent, as the girls brought out their gift . . .

"You've got to be kidding me," said Martin.

* * *

 **June 26, 20XX**

 **9:00AM Monday, Eastern Standard Time**

 **The Ranger Farm**

"Thank you so much for letting us stay!"

The girls called out to the Rangers, as their tank rolled down the empty fields and grasslands, the tracks smashing into weeds as they went.

"Be careful out there!" Martin roared. "Make sure you all use that levitation thing you told me!"

"Will do!" the girls answered back.

"Seriously," said Martin, watching them drive away. "I feel like they're my daughters for once . . ."

" _Our_ daughters," said Mary, pinching him by the nose. "Don't forget the other gender, Mr. Know-It-All."

"Hmm," Martin grunted. "I cannot believe that they gave us that gift."

"Well," she said. "We actually needed that one."

"Yeah," he admitted. "I've always one as a kid, to watch the whole world around me. Now, I am using it to scan the horizons, check on my farms, and do all kinds of work."

"An agricultural robot," Mary put it simply.

He nodded, as the silhouette of a giant, flying robot with four rotating blades approached them.

"MARTIN," the robot spoke. "WHAT DO YOU NEED?"

"Ahem!" said Martin, checking his iPad that the girls gave him. "Go and watch the girls."

"AFFIRMATIVE," it responded, and flew off towards the girls.

"It sure looks like a Phantom quadcopter," said Martin. "Only more advanced, larger, and with a mind of its own."

"It even calls you 'Martin,' as if it's your child," Mary teased him.

"Please," Martin moaned. "It's my dog, _not_ child."

Yet both grinned and laughed together, as the mysteriously advanced version of the Phantom drone flew towards the moving tank, its camera eyes rotating back and forth to observe the girls and their surroundings.

Miho, with her head exposed in the hatch as usual, noticed the drone and waved at it. She then gave it hand signs, silently saying that they were fine. The drone kept watching, then flew away.

"They didn't realize," said Yukari, her hatch open. "That it is a tradition in Japan to give gifts to hosts."

"Can't believe we gave them yours," said Saori.

"I am OK," said Mako. "In fact, I like it."

She clicked a button, and three drones flew out of a hidden chamber in the back.

"Two Phantom drones," said Mako. "And a Spreading Wings drone."

"Aren't they from that Chinese company?" asked Saori.

"Yes," said Mako. "Except these are unique to the tank."

The drones kept flying back and forth, surveying the surroundings with their own camera eyes. Yukari eyed them with incredible glee.

"Oh yes!" Yukari screamed in delight. "What more can we find about this and all and such. Creating portals? Yup! Becoming a mobile home? Sure thing! This could be a history in the making! Mobile kitchen! Mobile lab! Mobile everything and-"

"Panzer high," Miho calmed her down with her right hand.

"S-sorry . . ." Yukari uttered, with a little grin.

"Anyway," said Miho. "Remember our plan: Go up north to D. C., find a way to get us out of here. While going up, explore the US and learn about our tank, and what happened to it. Affirmed?"

"Affirmed!" the others answered in unison.

"Saori-chan," said Miho. "Check the radio to see if we can contact anyone, especially our school. Hana-chan, check the optical system of our tank. Yukari-chan, check the storage spaces for anything. Mako-chan, keep driving up north, following the GPS system that you found on the tank."

"What about you?" asked Saori, as she checked the transmissions on the radio.

"I am going up," she replied, standing on the turret hatch. As she stood, she looked all around.

They were now traveling parallel to the highway on their left. As it kept going and going, it approached a cluster of boulders.

"Mako-chan," Miho called into the interior. "Turn around the cluster, and keep moving."

"Miho-san," Hana called out. "That's not possible."

"Huh?" Miho looked up, and saw that they were going through a thick area of forest, which was right behind the cluster. Even the drones were giving out warning signals. She sighed.

"Do we have enough fuel?" asked Miho.

"More than enough," replied Mako.

"Then push it," she answered.

Mako grinned, and pushed the button. The tank jerked, but continued to move. Suddenly, out of each of the four corners of the tank, the armored parts opened up, exposing four engine-like pods.

"Levitation jets," Mako remarked. "Makes the tank float like a charm."

"This is obviously cheating," said Saori. "If we did this in Senshado."

Laughter filled the interior, as the tank rose just above the treetops. Miho kept looking around. After a while, she went in.

"Girls," Miho said seriously, looking at all of her friends. Everybody turned around to look at her face; she was fully inside the interior (except Mako, who had to focus on driving).

"This is serious," she suddenly said in a tone that meant business.

"You all," she said, smiling, "Are not just my friends; you're my family."

Everybody smiled at that. Even Mako quickly turned around to smile, before turning back to continue the driving.

"Why?" she asked, suddenly serious again. "We're not here for fun strictly put; we're here to survive. It is fun here already, with our powerful tank and drones and all, but we're foreigners in a foreign land."

"Like aliens?" asked Saori.

Miho chuckled at that, nodding in agreement.

"Well," she admitted. "Let's just go."

"Let's do this!" Saori cried out to the others, and they all joined in unison.

"Onee-chan," Miho said to herself, sticking out of the hatch. She held out her cell phone, seeing the "No Connection" sign due to her phone lacking international reception. "I . . . I hope you and Anzu and everybody else back home are safe and sound."

"Miporin!" Saori suddenly called out. Mako stopped driving. Miho went down to see what happened.

"Saori-chan?" she asked.

"Listen to this!" Saori shook. "I-I think it's important!"

 _Click!_

 _Bzzzz . . . Bzzzz . . ._

 _Click!_

"Mr. President," a voice boomed out.

The girls were silent. They kept listening.

"We know what happened," the voice continued. "You found out about the Corporation. You know a little too much. The Corporation is not pleased with you. However, we will leave this alone, because it was the Agent Forsaken's fault for not being careful with his phone. I cannot believe that he was _that_ careless enough to keep his phone on."

"Agent Helium," said the voice that the girls believed was that of the President. "I-I guess I should owe you for not letting me be um . . ."

"Do not say it," said the Agent Helium. "Since you know a little too much, I might as well tell you about it."

"It?" Saori wondered, but the girls hushed her.

"Project Portal," said the Agent Helium. "Is a highly classified project. It is supposed to be a teleportation device, designed to create portals that allow our forces to move from one place to another."

The girls stared at each other, dumbfounded.

"However," the Agent continued. "For some reason, only a weapon as big as a tank could utilize it. We tried to incorporate it into smaller gadgets, boxes, and even guns. But none worked. We were clearly frustrated. Then, during one of the experiments, we tried to inject the Project into a portable device. Unfortunately, it exploded. No one got killed, but worse the Project was gone."

The girls looked at each other again, aghast at the revelation.

"That Project," said the Agent. "Ended up somewhere to the west of California, according to our latest reports. We managed to narrow down our choices to two nations: South Korea and Japan. There is one problem: if it enters a tank, we lose the signal and the tank transforms."

"Transform?" both the President and Saori asked. The girls quickly hushed Saori, who blushed in embarrassment.

"The Project Portal itself turns a tank into a living weapon of classified potential," the Agent said. "It does not just grant it the power to create portals; it also doubles as a mobile base and even . . ."

The girls craned in, trying to hear better. Saori turned up the volume. Barely but clearly, they heard it.

"As a weapon creation factory," was the reply. "You see, the Project is itself doubly classified. Even I do not really know the origin of the Project."

"Wait," the President began. "Are you saying that it is foreign in origin?"

"Maybe," was the reply.

"But then, where did it-"

"Hush," the Agent said.

"But are you a Man in-"

"Hush," the Agent repeated. The President was silent.

"It has a secret manufacturing compartment inside it," said the Agent. "The Project pretty much turns the tank into a microcosm of a military base. Anyone in control of that tank essentially has the power of a small, super-elite force."

The girls stared in shock.

"And why do you tell me this much?" the President asked.

"We must get that tank," the Agent said. "We're scouring the entirety of Japan. We believe that the Senshado organizations there are the key to finding it."

The girls looked at each other at the last comment.

"And what are you going to once you find it?" the President asked.

Clearing his throat, Agent Helium began to say it:

"We have to de-"

 _BBBEEEEEEEPPPP!_

"Oh come on!" Saori groaned, as she tried to fix the transmissions. "We got caught off!"

"Well," Miho said. "That was something a little exciting, right?"

Everybody stared at her word choice.

"This is not just exciting," said Yukari. "It's crazy! We have their secret weapon here!"

"And it has a mini-factory," Mako remarked. "It means that we have weapons here."

"Yay!" Yukari exclaimed. "I can't wait to check-"

"MIHO?"

The familiar voice caught everybody off-guard.

"Anzu-san!" Miho realized. She grabbed one of the microphones, and tried to call out.

"Anzu-san!" she called into the phone. "We're in America! Somewhere in Virginia! Tell them to . . ."

"What do you mean, by Miho?" Anzu's voice continued. Miho realized that Anzu could not hear from the other side.

"Some secret agents," the voice of Nekota rang out. "Secretly came aboard the school-ship. They claim to have the right to search the place or something."

"Why mention Miho?" Anzu's voice boomed.

"Just not myself right now," Nekota admitted. "Still recovering from that shock."

"I understand," Anzu said. "It's hard to grasp that incident."

"Excuse me, little girl," a booming voice rang out.

"Yes?" Anzu hissed. "I am the President here."

"Oh . . . Sorry about that. Ahem! Anyway, we are here to search this ship under a probable cause."

"Cause of what?" Anzu retorted. "Nekota, you can leave. We're in a private chit-chat."

"To find something classified," the man spoke. "We're here to find something classified."

"Not enough information to convince me," Anzu said.

"We have the report and-"

"Do you have actual documentation allowing you to actually search this place?" Anzu's voice steadily rose in volume. She was starting to sound a little angrier than usual.

"N-no," he answered. "We just have the right to-"

"And I," said Anzu. "Have the right to say no. Unless you get clear proof, no. Please leave."

The man did not reply, but made sounds that clearly signaled defeat. The girls heard a few footsteps; it seemed that the man came with a company. They heard Anzu sigh.

"Miho," she said out.

"Yes?" Miho answered on impulse.

"Where are you?" she replied. "We're trying to delay the response, and hope that we can find you. If not, please be safe. If all else fails, we'll have to admit to them the whole thing."

"What whole thing?" Miho asked, forgetting that she could not hear her.

"I need to help resolve this somehow," Anzu said. "Yuzu! Momo! Let's get down to business! Tell everybody else to find a way to learn about what happened!"

"Understood!" the voices of Yuzu and Momo rang out.

"And remember," said Anzu. "No matter what happens, tell them all that I believe that Miho and her friends will be alright. Miho . . ."

She drifted off.

"Miho," she spoke as if talking to an imaginary friend. "I hope you are OK. No, you _will_ be alright. Good luck with wherever you ended up through the portal. We know you're OK; we're trying to find out what happened through the Saun-"

 _BEEEPPP!_

"Oh shoot!" Saori complained. "Caught off again!"

"But we heard enough," Miho said. The others agreed.

"Mako-san," she called out. "Keep moving to D. C. "Saori-chan, keep checking the radio. Hana-chan, keep watch through the optical system. And Yukari . . ."

"Hai?" she asked.

"Find that shell," she said.

"Affirmative!" Yukari answered with a military gesture. She dived into the larger-than-expected storage space of the tank, rummaging through for any sign of that "magic shell."

"Do you need help?" Miho asked.

"No!" she answered. "Keep being the leader for us!"

Miho smiled, and the others gave silent approval. She went out again, standing on her feet on top of the turret. The drones above her kept whirling around, surveying the surroundings for anything interesting or suspicious. She looked around. In the distance, she saw a few skyscrapers.

"We're getting there," she told others. "Get ready for the next phase of our plan."

"Roger that!" came the reply.

"Girls," she silently prayed. "Be safe in the ship. Rangers, thank you for your words of advice and hospitality. If we can visit the US, we'll visit you someday."

She raised her head, eyeing the horizon that sparkled with silver and gold, as the tank slowly floated towards it, not knowing what was to come . . .

* * *

 **And there you go! I am going to go back and update this chapter! Whew! I made this late at night, so my revision and editing skills are subpar. Once I am more fully awake, I am going to fix errors, especially potential plot holes to make them more realistic and better for the story. Anyway, the tank apparently can traverse terrains as usual, but can even levitate with special jets. This is inspired by Starcraft 2, which hint-hint, is a major influence for the later chapters to come . . .**

 **Spoiler alert: no, the girls will not be simply driving through. Their tank is too visible, and they later find a way to solve that . . . Stay tuned! Panzer vor!**

 **Ohayo: "Good morning."**

 **Arigato: "Thank you."**


	6. Chapter 6: The Calm Before the

**Six reviews as of now! OOOOHHHHH YEEEAAAHHHH! So, this is the sixth chapter, but how should I celebrate? Well, I don't have any actual idea, so let's just get to the point: thank you everyone for the reviews! And I hope to finish this story with a good bang or so!**

* * *

 **Girls und Odyssey**

 **Chapter 6: The Calm Before the . . .**

 **June 26, 20XX**

 **11:00AM Monday, Eastern Standard Time***

 **Barnes & Noble Booksellers Store in New Manassas, VA**

 ***: Two hours since the girls left the Ranger Farm**

" _What Americans Find Shocking about Japan: A Foolproof Guide to Learning about Japanese Customs and Practices_ ," Saori read the title. "Yikes, it sounds scary."

"Anything about American customs?" asked Hana, scouring the Japanese section. She and Saori ended up there, trying to find some books about American customs, in their own language.

"Nope," was the reply. "I am trying to find a book for us Japanese, but I don't see any."

"Odd," said Hana. "Isn't this section for Japanese who speak Japanese?"

'I guess they don't have any in stock," remarked Saori, sighing. "Let's keep checking. I will go to the front desk and ask. You keep looking around this section.

"Alright," said Hana. "I wonder what the others are doing . . ."

* * *

"Yes!"

Yukari ended up by herself, feasting her eyes upon what was in front of her: the sign on the wall said: MILITARY. The section in the bookstore was full of books, models, and other forms of merchandise about almost everything military, from WWI-era tank warfare to the most recently declassified US military weaponry. It was a paradise for a fanatic like her. She shook with joy, and just went ballistic with joy.

"Awesome!" she yelled, looking through each page of each and every book that she could read. She almost drooled, but her "fangirl" reaction was enough for a few customers to stare at her. More customers started to crane in, wondering what in the world a Japanese teenage girl was doing in an American bookstore, yelping with fanatical happiness. Her reaction was so exaggerated, a ginger-haired girl approached her and touched her shoulder.

"Yukarin . . ."

"Oh! Yukari realized with a start, apologetically reestablishing her demeanor. "Sorry for the reaction, Saori."

"Good grief," said Saori, sighing. "I am going up to the front and ask for service. In the meantime, please behave. You're already acting like an American."

She left, and Yukari breathed deeply to calm herself down. Checking the book as a normal person would in a bookstore, she took out a copy and sat on a chair. Unfortunately, she devoured the poor book with her now-lupine eyes, ravenously reading it like a wolf ready to hunt a sheep. She was so engrossed in the book, that she did not notice a random stranger of a middle-aged man approach her. Eyeing her, he bent down to see if she responded. She did not. The man checked the title of her book: _Living in a Post-Tankery America: How It Matters Today_. The man only grunted, and walked away.

* * *

"Sweet."

Mako ended up drifting away from the group, knowing full well that it was safe for her. Of course, it was a bookstore, but it was a huge one. This one, however, had a coffeehouse inside, where Mako took out her stash of US dollars. She and her group got some from the Rangers (despite the huge protests from the girls); what the Rangers did not realize, however, was that not long afterwards . . .

 _"Hey," Yukari suddenly said. "What's this?"_

 _"Is that a safe?" asked Miho._

 _"A safe for . . ." Saori trailed off, as Yukari opened it._

 _"The lock is deactivated," Yukari said. "Good thing . . ."_

Click.

 _"Alright," Yukari said. "Here I go . . ."_

 _The door slowly creaked open, and she and the others stared, jaws agape at the amount of stash in there._

 _"What's up with this tank?" asked Yukari out loud. "Does it make_ cash _?"_

 _"Real US dollars," Mako observed, giving a quick glance at the shiny bills._

 _"Wait," said Saori. "You're still driving! How do you know?"_

 _"I've seen them before," Mako said. "Those are real. I can even smell them from here."_

 _"Seriously . . ." Saori said, as she and the others counted the bills._

 _"What tricks does our tank have?" asked Yukari. "They_ are _real dollar bills from the US! I collected them back in Japan, but this is ridiculous!"_

 _"May I have some?" asked Mako, who kept driving._

 _"Mako, wait-"_

 _"Yes," said Miho. Saori stared, jaw agape._

 _"Thank you, you're the best," Mako chuckled._

"Hehe," she giggled to herself, as she got three pieces of chocolate cake. "Good thing we know these dollar bills. And have them in great amount."

"Mako!" Saori quietly but firmly called out. She was walking around the store, trying to find her friend. Although she knew that Mako was not far away, Saori started to act more like a mother-figure, and Mako decided to tease her by pretending to be a "rebellious" child. She did not reply, but just quietly move into a walled corner, and sat down on a chair to hide. She eavesdropped on Saori from the wall, and noticed her pouting, who then gave up and decided to continue asking the customer service.

"One for me," Mako said, as she munched on her morsels. "Sweet. American sweets are so sweet."

* * *

Miho Nishizumi, however, was not in the bookstore. She was, but she soon left to check their tank.

 _"Why are you going so soon?" asked Hana._

 _"I-I just want to have some personal space," said Miho._

 _"Why?" asked Yukari._

 _"We all need one," said Mako. "Being cramped together can be annoying, especially since we haven't done that in a while."_

 _"Quite right," Saori chimed in. "It's not easy to do so, especially when we're in the middle of nowhere."_

 _"I guess it is good for you," said Hana, deep in thought. "Good luck."_

Miho walked towards the direction of a group of tall, thick bushes. Despite being a tank, it had a mysterious cloaking system, allowing it to be invisible to the naked eye. Still, its boundaries were a little translucent, so in open space, someone with a sharp eye could easily notice it. She went into the bushes, and saw the fallen leaves on the tank, which betrayed its presence. She then went up into the tank, feeling a little weird to climb an invisible tank hidden in a cluster of shrubs. She checked her surroundings, before entering the hatch. Once in, she sat on her usual seat and surveyed the interior.

Much had changed since that time their tank suddenly thrusted them into the US. Normally, the tank's inside was a little cramped and designed for combat, not for mobile living. Now, since the interior had mysterious widened, she and her comrades modified it in a way to make themselves feel like home. Well, too _much_ like home . . .

 _"Let's go to a nearby store!" Saori cried out._

 _"Eh?" Miho and Yukari asked._

 _"Let's decorate our tank!"_

 _"What?! Not that again!"_

 _"It brings me back memories," said Hana dreamily. "When we decorated the inside for the St. Gloriana battle . . ."_

 _"No, no!" Yukari moaned in response. "We have enough stuff already!"_

 _"Huh?" Saori asked in response._

 _"Look at our tank!" Yukari cried out. "Even though our tank is bigger now, we packed it full and tight already!"_

"Hehe," Miho giggled to herself. "I remember that."

They decided not to, because Miho could see why. Their tank's enlarged interior allowed for more decorations and other items, but it was already packed tight. Miho already could tell where her friends were . . .

Miho sat on her seat, plainly decorated with a strawberry-pink cushion. On each side of the cushion rested her Boko dolls, resembling teddy bears with bandages all over. They looked like her servants, as if ready to move at the command of their "master." However, they were as still as armrests, and Miho found herself cuddling with her two dolls. Behind her back was her last Boko doll, which looked like the back of a chair that tried to cushion Miho's back. In front of Miho, the tank now mysteriously provided her with what looked like a drawing board, but smaller and thinner, so that Miho could conveniently place her clipboard on it. However, the entire board doubled as a computer screen, with buttons that when clicked opened floating, holographic screens all around her, so that she could survey the whole 360 degrees of her surroundings. Despite this, Miho found herself leaving her hatch, in order to survey her surroundings with her bare eyes.

 _"Miporin," said Saori. "That table shows you the surroundings. You don't need to peek out the hatch again."_

 _"I know," answered Miho. "But the screen hurts my eyes for some reason. Anyway, I feel better surveying the world around me with my own eyes, rather than through a computer screen."_

 _"I think my mom told me the same thing," Hana chimed in. "She told me again and again to avoid staring at a computer, or else my eyes would hurt."_

 _"Well," said Yukari. "There you go. Nishizumi-dono, it's your choice after all!"_

 _"Thanks," Miho replied._

Saori sat on the far right side of the tank, where the radio system was located. Miho stared at the empty space; more precisely, she stared at Saori's "over-decorated" space. The previous tank's radio system was simple and had buttons and all; now, the system looked like an advanced computer straight from an alien spacecraft. However, Saori tainted the image with cushions, shelves of romance books, and homemade hearts with pictures of famous American celebrities pasted unto them. It even had a mirror, which Saori frequently used when she was not busy with the radio . . .

 _"Isn't that dangerous?" asked Miho._

 _"What?" Saori asked._

 _"You put so much stuff there," said Miho._

 _"At least I didn't put my kitchen stuff here," pouted Saori. "If I did, I would have become a little fat."_

 _"Like an American?" Mako joined in._

 _"Mako!" groaned Saori. "Not all Americans are fat, you know!"_

 _"But you sure think American boys are handsome," remarked Miho._

 _"It's all my own merchandise," said Saori. "I guess I got a little crazy since we realized that we're in America. Hehe."_

Miho then stared to her left, where Hana normally sat. There, she was the gunner, managing with her telescope and cannon to fire at her targets. However, the gunner's system had drastically changed, so that Hana not only could activate special screens (like Miho's) with buttons, but also could now utilize mysteriously complex optical lenses and telescopes that only she could understand. "They're like ikebana," she once remarked, which confused other girls. In fact, her system even allowed her to remotely control machine guns and other armaments from the turret's top. However, she found out that it had a system that she loved:

 _"What's that smell?" asked Saori._

 _"It's the perfumery 'manufactory' of some sort," said Hana. "I activated it, and I am loving it."_

 _"But augh!" Yukari coughed. "I am not used to so much perfume inside a tank! And what's a manufactory?"_

 _"An old word for a factory," replied Mako._

 _"Arggh!" Yukari coughed again. "The word sounds cooler than the smell."_

 _"Deal with it," Mako said in a monotone voice._

 _"You sure brought lots of air freshener stuff there," remarked Saori, who was used to perfume._

 _"Oh yeah!" Hana realized. "My system has a button that does that, so we don't need our freshener!"_

 _"Oh please!" Yukari moaned._

 _"Where is your ikebana set?" asked Miho._

 _"It's not easy to do such a thing," said Hana. "Inside this space right now."_

 _"Oh yeah, you're right," Miho realized with an awkward giggle._

Yukari sat to Miho's immediate right. Her space was not that much plainer; she decorated it with her military merchandise, such as tank models and even jerry cans (except that they're used to store drinking water, not fuel). Her space was still a place to load shells, but this time the storage space for shells was larger and closer to her, so that it was easier to load shells. Furthermore, her space even had a secondary weapons system, but she was still trying to figure out what it exactly did.

 _"But what do I need that for?" asked Yukari. "We don't really have a target to actually shoot with our tank. Anyway, we're in the US, which abolished tank use among civilians!"_

 _"You're right," Hana admitted. "Why even use the cannon and all?"_

 _"Hana-san, Yukari-san," said Miho. "You all are right. However, keep honing your skills. Learn to use the new systems. We may need them someday."_

 _"Roger that!" Yukari answered, and scrutinized her own space._

 _"Yukarin," began Saori. "Are you checking your space, or are you drooling over our tank?"_

 _"Eh? Oh! Well . . ." Yukari fidgeted, embarrassed._

 _"Just check," Miho just shrugged. "And did you find the shell yet?"_

 _"Nope, Nishizumi-dono," she sighed in resignation. "I still cannot find it, even within this small space!"_

 _"Well," Miho said. "This tank sure brings surprises."_

Mako still sat in her usual spot, to the left of Saori's radio space. Her space also had holographic screens and other features that seemed to be from a futuristic spacecraft; indeed, Mako's space looked like the pilot seat of a futuristic walker or even a spaceplane. "Something like Star Trek or something," Yukari once remarked. However, it had a chamber that Saori immediately recognized:

 _"Mako!" Saori hissed. "Watch your weight!"_

 _"Watch yours," Mako said with a small grin, as she analyzed her mini-fridge._

 _"Why the fridge?" asked Yukari._

 _"Mako loves cold sweets," Saori sighed. "I cannot believe that the tank provided us with our heart's desires, which for Mako included a mini-fridge for her snacks!"_

 _"Hey," said Mako nonchalantly. "Deal with it. We'll need this tank to survive."_

Miho giggled, slightly overwhelmed by the thoughts of her friends and their space. Sure, she loved her space, because it felt like the warmth of her home. At the same time, however, she and the others knew that they were _not_ home. The tank was their only sense of connection with their homeland, and ever since they found out that their radio system could tap into their school's, they were more determined than ever to-

"Wait a second," Miho realized. "I remember why I came here!"

She went down to the heart-filled station, and checked the radio.

"So comfy," Miho remarked, upon sitting down on Saori's super-soft cushion. It had a picture of a man and woman in love, inside a gigantic red heart and surrounded by the cushion's white color. Turning back to the radio, she scrutinized the buttons and screens all around.

"Which one was which?" she wondered. "This one?"

She pressed one, which she remembered was a recording from a few hours ago. It recorded two transmissions, both of which shocked the girls. The first was a recording of the President, which they learned was the President of the United States of America, and his talk with a mysterious figure named Agent Helium. Apparently, the girls understood that their tank could somehow listen to the President's own talks; how that was possible was unknown to the girls. The other transmission was just as shocking; this time, they could listen to what happened to Anzu and their school. Apparently, Anzu and her Council were trying to buy some time to find out what really happened.

Miho turned the recording off, since she already heard it before. Sighing, she reclined back, trying to rest her head from the headache of trying to understand so many things; so much had happened to her and her team, so the "shock" was getting to her. Suddenly, something glittered on the ceiling above.

"Huh?" she wondered, and without thinking, pressed the light. Suddenly, the radio system responded.

 _Bzzzz . . . Klink-klonk!_

 _Bzzz . . . Bzzz . . . Wheezzzeee . . ._

 _Click!_

"Where is Miho?" the voice boomed out. Miho jumped, but quickly recognized it.

"Onee-chan . . ." Miho said in a low whisper, silently glad to hear her sister's voice again. However, it was obvious that she was _not_ in a good mood.

"I-I have to admit," Anzu's voice echoed, sighing. "If we tell you, you won't really believe it."

"I texted and called her," her sister growled. "For a long, _long_ time. I knew something was up when she failed to text or even call me back, after the _50th_ time. I immediately requested my head leaders, who let me use one of our helicopters to come here."

"Ni-Nishizumi-sama," stuttered Momo. "I-I know that it's tense right now, but . . ."

She trailed off. Miho could tell, from Momo's voice, that her sister was glaring at Momo, silencing her in the process.

"Maho-sama," Anzu cleared her throat. "Will you promise that-"

"I make no promises right now," Maho kept her chilling voice. "If you do not tell me where she is now, I may have to contact the MEXT or someone worse: my own mother."

Miho felt shivers down her spine.

"Well," Anzu began, trying to regain her composure. "L-like we said, we're not really sure how to explain this, but-"

"You better just flat out tell me right now," Maho declared, her voice rising by the second. "Or else I will expose you and your school, and I may have to-"

"ONEE-CHAN!"

Without thinking, Miho screamed out, remembering full well that they could not hear her. She just screamed out, not wanting her sister to break, wanting to remind her that she was alive and well. She did not like her sister's anger rising. It just hurt to see her own sister losing it; Miho just wanted her to even feel that she was still there. She really, _really_ wanted to go home, even to see her own mother. She really did not want Maho to lose herself.

She heard nothing but silence. Miho craned into the sound system, trying to hear.

"Mi-Miho?" Maho's voice whispered.

Miho gasped, aghast.

"Onee-chan!" Miho cried out.

"W-where?" Anzu's voice stuttered.

"Um-um-um . . ." Momo's voice echoed. She was clearly shocked, as if she saw a _yokai_.

"Miho!" Maho's voice called out. "W-where are you?"

"Her voice!" Yuzu's voice echoed. "It's coming from the speaker box!"

"How's that possible?!" Anzu's voice stammered.

"Miho!" Maho's voice grew larger and larger. Apparently, Miho could tell that Maho approached the source of her voice. Somehow, her radio system managed to infiltrate a sound box.

"Wait!" Anzu's voice called out. "That's not possible! Although that box is plugged in, it's not connected to any sound system!"

"Miho!" Maho's voice boomed out. "Are you alright!"

"I am fine!" Miho called out to her. "In fact, we're all alright! Tell the others that Saori, Hana, Yukari, and Mako are all fine! We're all safe and sound! We still have our tank, and I am so glad to hear you all!"

Miho cried, reaching for one of Saori's handkerchiefs to blow into. She was so glad, too happy to hear someone familiar for once.

"I am glad you're alright," Maho's voice boomed out. "Sorry to get angry at your friends. I was so worried about you."

" _A-arigato_ ," Miho answered, sniffing. She heard Maho's low but audible giggle.

"Say," said Maho. "Where are you?"

"Onee-chan!" Miho realized. "We're in-"

BEEEEEPPPPP!

"Oh no!" Miho cried out. "We're cut off again!"

Quickly thinking, she remembered the buttons that Saori pressed to listen to the President and Anzu before. The button to listen to the President had the symbol of an eagle on it, while the button to listen to Anzu had the picture of their Oarai school emblem. She heard them loud and clear again. This time, Miho called out to them, but she realized that they could not hear her this time.

"We're cut off!" Maho said in a low but audible voice. Although not angry, she clearly sounded tense.

"Well," Anzu's voice echoed, apparently calmer than before. "We know that they're safe."

"We should have asked her sooner," Momo mumbled.

"But we're too glad to hear her again," Yuzu admitted. "I guess we're too excited to think that."

"But we know that she's safe," said Maho. "It's just that . . . President Anzu-sama."

"Yes?"

"Keep this sound box safe," said Maho. Miho could hear her sister tapping on the box. In fact, Miho realized that she was listening to them from that _same_ box.

"Of course!" the whole Council exclaimed in unison.

"Hopefully," Maho's voice boomed. "We'll hear them again someday."

"Please keep this a secret too," Yuzu's voice begged her.

"Of course," Maho affirmed. Miho sighed in relief. She was glad that her sister was back to normal.

"Miho," her sister spoke through the box.

"Yes?" Miho responded, even though she knew that her sister could not hear her.

"I hope you'll be safe," Maho said. "I was afraid when you neither texted me nor called me. Without letting anyone know, except for my superiors, I managed to get a helicopter to your school. I told them I wanted to visit Oarai just in case. Now, make sure you're alive and safe. Hopefully we'll be in touch again. For now, I have to go back."

"Thanks," Miho answered without thinking.

"Anzu-sama," Maho called to the school president. "As soon as you hear Miho's voice, call me. I will try and reach ASAP."

"ASAP indeed," Anzu answered. Her voice now had gone back to her normal self: laid-back and confident.

"Miho," Maho called out to the box. "Good luck, and panzer vor."

"Panzer vor!" Miho replied back.

BEEEPPP!

Miho turned off the system, reclined back, and sighed in relief. She was glad to hear her sister again. She was glad to hear her school. But above all else, she found out that there was a way to reach out to her school. Miho checked the location of the glittering button. It did not glitter, but Miho could tell that the button was there. She pressed it, but nothing happened this time.

"I hope you glitter again," she said to the button. "Hopefully, we'll be in contact soon."

Miho stretched on the seat. "I am so glad," she said again. "Today was a lucky day. Oh yeah!"

Miho got up and went back to her seat, embarrassed that she was on Saori's seat the whole time of the incident. Hugging the Boko on her right, she giggled.

"I am so glad," she said again, crying. "I am so-wow-wow-wow!"

She shook so hard in her seat, that somehow, the cushion lost its grip and mysteriously slid out of the seat.

 _How did it slip?_ Miho thought to herself in a flash. _It had Velcro and all to keep it tight!"_

By military instinct, she turned around and attempted to break her fall with both of her arms crossed over. By accident, her arms pushed the Boko doll behind her. Suddenly, the back of her seat made a loud, hollow sound, then-

 _Boom!_

"Wahhhh!" Miho screamed, as her arms went through. Regaining her composure, she looked at the back. Her arms felt a little numb from breaking her fall, but she unintentionally opened a door.

"What is this?" Miho asked herself. She peered into the chamber, and gasped. At the same time, she heard a familiar voice, since she left the hatch door open:

"Miporin!"

Miho heard her friends, calling from a distance. She went up, and saw them in the distance. Saori was waving at her, while Hana strolled alongside her. Yukari was carrying a bag of newly bought books. Mako, however, was munching on a chocolate bar.

"Miporin!" Saori called out. "What are you doing? You haven't been back for a while!"

"How long was it?" Miho yelled back.

"1:00PM!" Yukari called out.

"Girls!" Miho called out. "I found something!"

"What is it?' Yukari cried out, dashing to the tank, enraptured by the news. Anything new about their tank seemed to put Yukari on a huge drive, as if she drank too much coffee.

"Come and see!" she only answered, knowing full well that everyone would know what it was . . .

* * *

 **Cliffhanger, huh? Hopefully, I hope to publish the next chapter in a few days, instead of a week or longer. Since St. Patrick's Day is coming up this week, why not give Miho and her friends a taste of how Americans celebrate . . . But well, if you readers want me to include ideas for St. Patrick's day, PM me ASAP. I will try and publish the next chapter very soon, so the sooner I hear from you, the better.**

 **And yes, that door leads to a secret chamber. Although small, it alone is impressively super-powerful and super-advanced. Remember the hint about the reference to Starcraft? Well, you'll see that on the next chapter. In the meantime, cross your fingers or even pray for me, because I hope to publish the next chapter on or before St. Patrick's day. This is going to be a luck day!**

 **On a side note: I put up their location as "New Manassas, VA." The real Manassas, VA is not far away. For the sake of the story, I decide to make up a city, because this is fiction. If I want to portray a real place, I want to keep it as real as possible. Hence, since I don't know the Barnes & Noble store at Manassas, VA, I decide to just make it up.**

 **Yokai: class of ghosts, spirits, demons etc. in Japanese folklore**


	7. Chapter 7: The Lucky Day

**This is the real chapter 7! Yeah! However, realizing that St. Patrick's Day is coming up, I decide to change my original goals for this chapter . . .**

 **For those who read it, I decide to not focus on points 3 and 4. I am going to show the girls' encounter with an Irish-American pub, instead of the Korean-American church as I intended. That could come later. The point 5 (about the "secret chamber" in the previous chapter) will be subtle here. Due to the upcoming St. Patrick's Day, I am delaying that for now. So, this chapter is in honor of the St. Patrick's Day, and the girls are in for it!**

 **WARNING: this is NOT a chapter about St. Patrick's Day, since that is past in this timeline. St. Patrick's Day is in March 17, not June 26, so that day was already past. However, Irish-American pubs are still open, so that is a way I show this!**

 **UPDATE: Today is St. Patrick's Day, and this chapter is published just today! Whew! What a work!**

* * *

 **Girls und Odyssey**

 **Chapter 7: The Lucky Day**

 **June 26, 20XX**

 **4:00PM Monday, Eastern Standard Time**

 **Somewhere on a highway on the way to northern Virginia . . .**

"Where are we going again?"

Hana said the one thing that everyone was thinking about. Mako slightly zoned out, driving as if nothing was there. Of course, there was no obstacle for a levitating, invisible tank, except when she accidentally drove "off-road" and almost collided with nearby trees.

"Mako!" hissed Saori. "Watch the roads!"

"Stop acting like _oba-san_ ," said Mako in her classic voice.

"Where are we going again?" Hana repeated. Everyone fell silent.

"Well," began Miho. "I guess we got so excited about the "secret chamber" I found. It seems to be a weapon-making factory of some sort."

"And we spent hours!" moaned Saori. "Trying to get that to work! We tried to press any buttons on our systems. We tried mine, then Yukarin's, Hana's, Mako's, and finally Miporin's!"

"And none worked," said Mako bluntly. Everybody was silent, as the tank "flew" on, the mysterious four jet-engines keeping the metallic behemoth afloat, so that even the tallest big rigs could not collide with it.

"Good thing I read about such big trucks," said Mako, a single drop of sweat running down her forehead. "Remember that last time?"

"Yes," hissed Saori, punching her lightly. "Just be careful, next time? Good thing you made the tank float higher! That was a little close when that gigantic truck ran by!"

"It was a little too close," admitted Miho, remembering that minor incident. "Just be careful, girls."

"Me too?" asked Saori.

"You talked to Mako," said Miho. "And she forgot to check her cameras to make sure that she was floating at the right level."

"Oops," realized Saori. "Sorry."

Mako silently shrugged, accepting her friend's apology.

"And we are lost," said Hana. She was right.

The girls ended up in a highway, but they apparently floated away from the previous one, and drifted into another. This time, they were truly and completely lost.

"Let's just go," said Miho, checking the GPS on her commander's screen. "There is a mall nearby."

"Yay!" cried out Saori. "Hopefully we can restock on our food supplies!"

"Or just eat there," said Mako.

"What should we eat?" asked Hana, her stomach suddenly growling. Everybody looked at her, then at Miho. Miho nodded, and checked her GPS. Although Mako had GPS on her system, Miho's was far better; only it showed the exact images of the mall, while Mako's only showed the map and directions to it.

"There is this . . ." she began. "An Orish pub?"

"Orish?" asked everybody else.

"Let me look," said Saori, coming up to look at Miho's screen. "Oh, it's an Irish pub."

"Irish?" everybody, this time, asked her.

"How can I explain this?" began Saori. "An Irish . . . Let me think . . . Oh, I remember going to Tokyo once! And I saw a parade of giant balloon-giant things back when I was younger; they looked like white people with red beards clad in green of some sort."

"Robin Hood?" asked Yukari.

"How do you know that stuff?" asked Saori.

"I am big on military," she replied. "That also includes . . . Ahem! Well, even Robin was an expert with living in the wild, so I wanted to emulate him!"

"An imagined figure?" replied Mako sarcastically.

Yukari shrugged, not offended at all.

"Alright, girls," Miho commanded, getting their attention. "We'll just reach that mall, and see what we can do next."

"OK!" the others nodded in agreement.

* * *

 **June 26, 20XX**

 **4:30PM Monday, Eastern Standard Time**

 **Lucky Star Mall**

"Colcannon Pub," Yukari read the sign on top of the restaurant. "Do they have cannons there?"

All girls parked their tank on a corner of the mall far away from the highway. Checking to make sure that it was safely parked, the girls floated it down, kept it cloaked, and got out. The girls entered the parking lot, with about 40 cars, trucks, and all kinds of automobiles stationed in their own white-painted spaces. Next to the parking lot, a huge sign read: LUCKY STAR MALL.

"No," Saori said a little loudly. "Colcannon is not cannon, despite having the word 'cannon' in its name."

"Then," began Yukari, raising an eyebrow. "What is it?"

"It is a type of salad using potatoes and cabbage," Saori explained. "Potatoes are smashed or 'mashed,' then added with cabbage, cream or milk, butter, and a good amount of salt and pepper."

Saori stopped, then held her stomach as if sick. "It's so fattening," she admitted.

"It sounds nice," said Hana. "I wonder how it tastes like."

"How do you know such a dish?" asked Miho.

"I love cooking, remember?" asked Saori.

"Oh," Miho remembered. "So, do we have enough money?"

"More than enough," said Mako, taking out a chunk of cash out of her left pocket. "Good for a whole meal."

"Mako!" Saori yelled. "Not that much! Does the safe even produce its own money?"

"Nope," she replied. "But it's enough to last."

"For how long?" asked Miho. Mako opened her mouth, then slowly closed it down.

"Let's just eat first," Miho said. "Then talk later. I am hungry."

"Me too!" Saori joined in.

"Me three!" Yukari chimed in.

"Yay," said Mako nonchalantly.

"Colcannon," said Hana dreamily. "Are you as good as a cannon?"

Everybody stared at her.

"Let's just go," Miho said, and the other girls followed her. However, as Hana was about to follow, she noticed something in the middle of a patch of lawn grass. It was in front of the restaurant that they were about to enter.

"What is this?" she wondered, stooping down. "That's an interesting plant . . ."

* * *

"Welcome to Colcannon Pub!" a pretty waitress greeted the girls. "How may I help you?"

The girls looked at her. A tall woman, the waitress towered over them; Yukari silently estimated that she was about 180 cm tall (about six feet tall by American measures). She wore a simple but slightly frilly apron and dress, which reminded the girls of the young "maid" waitresses they saw back in their homeland. However, its "black" parts were dark green, and the lady wearing it had freckles and long, mahogany-red hair tied into a neat ponytail.

"Girls?" the waitress asked.

"Oh!" Miho shook herself back into reality. "Sorry," she began. "Ah . . . F-five seats for us?"

"Sure!" the lady answered. "Your first time here, right?"

"Yes!" Saori answered, so that Miho did not feel the need to speak English all the time.

"Nice place," Hana remarked, looking around. "Hmm, I smell potatoes and butter. Lots of both."

"Oh!" Saori groaned. "I hope not to eat too much!"

"Good luck with that," said Mako, checking the menu. All girls then checked their own menus, as they seated on a large, mahogany-colored table. The waitress looked at them, waiting for their requests.

"Do you need any drinks?" asked the lady.

"Y-yes!" Miho replied. "One glass of . . . Umm . . ."

"For first-timers like you," the waitress said. "I'll give you all one for free."

"Eh?" all of them, except Mako, asked. Mako grinned slyly.

"Any drink will do," the waitress said. "You girls look a little too young to be here all by yourself, but since you all behaved quite well, I am going to give you all a free drink. Consider it your lucky day. Anyway, we're a family business here, and I am one of the owner's daughters."

"Are you sure?" asked Saori. "We have the money."

"Just for the entrees," said the waitress, winking. "Oh, and call me Patricia."

"T-thank you, Patricia-sama," said Miho, letting her Japanese language come out a little.

"Oh!" Patricia exclaimed. " _So, ladies from Japan, what are you all doing here?_ "

The girls stared at her. Patricia spoke Japanese fluently right in front of them.

"I lived with a Japanese friend once," she explained, back to her English voice. "But I am not good with it. So, any drink by the way?"

"A drink of strawberry-flavored milk," Miho answered. "Please?"

"Sure!" Patricia answered. "Do you want it Colcannon-style?"

"Sorry?" asked Miho.

"Our house specialty," she answered. "Super-creamy milk mixed with real pureed strawberries, mint, and lemonade."

"That much?" asked Miho. "Oh, yes please!"

"Red lemonade?" asked Saori. "What is this?"

"A distinct type of Irish lemonade," Patricia explained. "Soda lemonade. We have diet versions here, too."

"I will get that one," Saori said. "With real lemons, please?"

"What is Irish tea?" asked Hana.

"It's a strong mix of a variety of tea," said Patricia. "Especially Assam."

"Oh!" Hana said. "I will have that one, please!"

"Green Colcannon Punch?" asked Yukari. "Sounds cool!"

"That's a weird one," Patricia admitted. "My father, one of the owners, decided to try and give a super-healthy juice option. It ended up being a mixture of algae, mint, coffee, Assam tea, and spinach; it really is a smoothie that my father made up."

"Cool," said Yukari. "I will have that one!"

"Serious?" Patricia asked, but just jotted down the words.

"Mine is this," replied Mako.

"Oh no," Saori groaned.

"One large cup of chocolate mint shake," Mako continued. "With a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top, and dribbled with lots of mint chocolate syrup, honey, and a micro-green on top."

"Micro-green?" asked Saori.

"A type of tiny green for vegetable," said Patricia, writing everything down. "Anything else?"

"We have to check the menu again," said Miho.

"OK!" Patricia winked. "I'll be back!"

* * *

"Wow," said Miho. "This is so sweet!"

Miho drank her chimera of a drink: milk with lemonade and strawberry puree-juice. It shocked her at first, due to the use of real lemons and mint, but she soon relished it. Saori also enjoyed her own lemonade, which she drank until it was all but gone. Hana drank her tea like she learned back in St. Gloriana (she visited there before); she smiled as it was very similar to that served by Assam, a girl who served the tea of her namesake. Yukari just gobbled her punch without a straw (the first three drank with a straw); she just loved it. Mako scooped her shake with a spoon like ice cream, licking her tongue with every bite.

"Ah . . ." all five girls sighed in what they thought was bliss.

"Anything to eat?" asked Patricia.

"Oh!" said Miho. "What do you recommend?"

"We serve all items," she explained. "Even breakfast ones throughout the day. Colcannon is one of our specialties. But I love our Irish full breakfast, Irish stew, and Colcannon Apocalypse."

"Colcannon Apocalypse?" everyone asked.

"If you see it," she said. "And finish it in one hour alone, without going to restroom or throwing up, you win $1,000. No one had managed to finish it, though. 123 people tried, but it's 30 lb of bacon, lamb chops, steak, potatoes, sweet potatoes, cabbage, kale, collard greens, onions, milk, cream, and butter. It's gross; my father made it to make money out of it, and it was a success. He calls it our 'lucky money-maker' or something. We can make one right now, but it will cost $250 to make."

Miho stared at Patricia, then looked at Yukari, Mako, and Saori. Then, all four of them looked at the tall girl sipping her tea . . .

"Hmm?" she asked.

* * *

 **June 26, 20XX**

 **5:50PM Monday, Eastern Standard Time**

 **The Colcannon Pub**

"WHO IS SHE?!"

Everybody in the restaurant crowded to watch a tall Japanese girl take on the Apocalypse. In under 20 minutes, she demolished it, destroyed it, and vaporized it, every scrap of it. Everybody except Miho, Yukari, Saori, and Mako dropped their jaws in disbelief. The entire kitchen staff watched in shock at the outcome, and one almost collapsed.

Hana Isuzu elegantly put down her utensils, and wiped her mouth with a handkerchief. The mountain of a salad of potatoes and greens in front of her was gone, razed to the ground (or plate).

"Mm," she admitted. "That was a small salad."

Patricia, her father (who came to watch), and the whole crowd almost fainted upon that comment.

"Who are you?" Patricia stared. "You are from Japan, and you are the first to defeat the Apocalypse! My father is impressed, but too shocked to speak!"

"Well," Saori sighed. "Anything else?"

"Well," said Patricia's father. "We have the money, but we did not expect this to happen. So, what can we prove you for?"

"You mean, something to prove that we won?" asked Yukari.

"Yeah," the man replied. "But other than a picture of you all, we don't have something like a charm to remind us of your accomplishment."

"We spent $250 for that dish," said Mako. "You should have been prepared for a victory celebration of some sort."

"We made too much money out of that Apocalypse," he said. "After so many people failed, we just forgot to be ready."

The man giggled in embarrassment, while his daughter stood by, shaking her head.

"You are so lucky," she finally said. "You're Hana, right?"

"Yes," Hana replied.

"How do you eat so much," she began. "Yet still remain thin?"

"Huh?" Hana pondered for a while. The crowd watched her.

"I," she began. "I just eat normally, like everybody else."

Stunned silence.

"What the -!" said an obese man who just ate 5 lb of colcannon. He sputtered out some of it, too shocked to realize what happened. Even those who got hit, three young teenage boys and two teenage girls, were too aghast at the response to even care; they were as still as rock. An elderly couple turned away, hiding their eyes away from the revelation. Three kitchen workers secretly entered the restrooms to throw up.

Miho, Yukari, Saori, and even Mako stared in shock.

"What in the world," Yukari said, but stopped her sentence.

"Is this even real . . ." Saori shook her head.

Miho only giggled in response, while Mako took out a book and read it in silence.

"Ahem . . ." Patricia's father coughed. "That-nevermind. Do-do you want another Apocalypse?"

The whole crowd turned to stare at him.

"Sure," Hana replied.

Everybody went nuts afterwards.

* * *

 **June 26, 20XX**

 **7:00PM Monday, Eastern Standard Time**

 **The Colcannon Pub**

"So . . ." Patricia said. The whole pub went back to normal, after Hana had the Apocalypse sealed tightly in a box. "What's next?"

The girls sat in their usual seats, silent.

"Well," Miho said. "That was, well, sort of interesting?"

"That was nuts," Mako succinctly put it.

"Well," Patricia's father came back. "So, any ideas of celebrating your achievement?"

"I don't know," Hana admitted. "What exactly is your idea?"

"Well," he began. "I've always wanted to find a four-leaved clover."

"Dad!" Patricia elbowed him. "Grow up, will ya?"

"A four-leaved clover?" asked Miho.

"It's a lucky thing to find one in real life," Saori said. "Ah, if only I could find it for my boyfriend . . ."

"And eat lots of shake," Mako killed the mood.

"Mako . . ." she hissed.

"Four leaves?" asked Hana. "Why?"

"The clover usually comes with three leaves," he said. "Rarely, you find one with four."

"What about this clover?" she asked, taking it out of a special booklet-like tool, which she used to store some valuable plants for use later.

Stunned silence.

"Hana . . . " began Saori.

Mako was too stunned to speak.

"What?" Yukari cried out.

"Wow," said Miho. "You are one lucky girl."

"Why?" Hana asked, but was silent upon seeing the shocking expressions of Patricia and her father . . .

* * *

 **June 26, 20XX**

 **7:30PM Monday, Eastern Standard Time**

 **The Colcannon Pub**

"Take care!" Patricia called out to the girls, watching them walk towards a group of houses nearby the mall.

"Thank you!" they called out to her. All except Hana carried some supplies that they managed to get from the pub, leftovers and other food that was totally edible, but not "edible" by the restaurant's standards. Saori came up with the idea, so that they could minimize their food budget. Hana, however, solely was responsible for carrying her whole Apocalypse; 30 lb of meat, potatoes, and greens all stayed still in a food box designed for that purpose.'

"I am going to be sick," said Saori, looking at Hana's portion and her happy, smiling face.

"She's one big eater," Yukari shook her head, glancing away.

"That was crazy," Mako said, now back to her old, nonchalant self. She drank a cup of chocolate mint shake again.

"I enjoyed that pub," said Miho, eating a cone of strawberry-mint ice cream that the restaurant provided. Only she got that; the others were too full (except Hana, who chose not to in order to get the Apocalypse) to eat anymore.

"So," said Yukari, as the group changed direction to head back to the location of their tank near the mall. "Where did you find that clover?"

"Oh," Hana said. "It was that special?"

"Of course!" Saori and Yukari both roared at her. Miho quickly shushed them, not wanting to get attention as to the location of their tank.

"I found it nearby the restaurant," she said. "I told them the location, too."

"Wow," Miho admitted. "You are one lucky girl . . ."

* * *

"You've got to be kidding me," Patricia admitted. "Dad, she was right all along!"

"Now," he said, plucking out three clovers from a patch of lawn in front of his restaurant. Four leaves on each shone in the twilight sun like an omen of future goodness.

"We can plant these," he said. "And hopefully auction them for a great price!"

"Why sell them?" asked Patricia. "Instead of keeping them for our business?"

"We don't need these," he said. "Because that one Hana gave us is rarer than these three."

She sighed.

"OK," she said. "But no regrets later!"

"No regrets," he replied. "Promise."

The two looked at each other, and smiled.

Behind them, customers after customers came in, eating as usual. However, the staff in the kitchen was quite bubbly, more efficient at work than ever. The tip jar in front of the store was now full to the brim with coins and dollar bills; the waitress nearby had to bring a second jar, and that was already half-full. Next to the kitchen, a wall had a huge picture frame, with a small picture made from a printer. Although only the size of a typical piece of white paper, it was framed with golden decorations all around, showing five girls smiling together. In the middle, the star of the show smiled serenely, with a green tiara on her head for the picture. Yet what made it stand out was what she held in her right hand, and that one was on a tiny pot hanging by the picture:

A five-leaved clover.

* * *

"Five leaves," said Miho. "Five girls. Together in one tank."

The girls all entered their tank, just as it got dark.

"Girls," she told them. "It was a journey of crazy things to come. Life has its ups and downs. But together, we will endure. Together, we will go on. Together, hopefully, we will . . ."

All of them put their hands together, as if they were on a team holding hands together before a sports event.

"Go home," she finally finished. "Panzer vor!"

"Panzer vor!" the others yelled. As they tidied up their spaces to ready for another trip, Miho opened up her screens. Mako turned on the engine, and the tank lit up its night vision function. Although everything looked gloomy, the green glows from the tank lights were visible enough for them to see the road ahead.

"Finally," Mako said. "I found the same old highway."

"Really!" Saori yelled. "Say it louder!"

"Let's go!" Miho commanded. "Oh yeah!"

She opened up a compartment in her space, and clicked a button.

 _Ring, ring, ring!_

 _Click!_

"This is Colcannon Pub at Lucky Star Mall," said the familiar voice. "How may I help you?"

" _Moshi-moshi_!" Miho replied. "I am Miho!"

"Miho!" Patricia cried out. "How are you doing?"

"Great!" she answered. "Thank you for all your help!"

"No problem!" Patricia said. "Do you guys live nearby?

"No," she admitted. "But we hope to see you again."

"Good luck!" Patricia grinned as she spoke. " _Buena suerte_!"

"Huh?" Miho asked.

"Spanish for 'good luck'!" she explained. "You said you're going up north, right?"

"Yes," she answered.

"Well," Patricia said. "You'll find plenty of Spanish speakers there! Make sure you're ready!"

"OK!" she replied.

"That ginger girl said she knows," Patricia called. "Let her help!"

"Well . . ." Saori began. "I know a little, but not much."

"A little is better than nothing," Patricia smirked. " _Buena suerte_!"

" _Buena suerte_!" they all answered back.

" _Adios_!" she finally finished, before hanging up.

"Goodbye?" asked Miho.

"Yup," Saori affirmed. "Well then, are we going?"

"You bet we are!" cried out Yukari.

"I am ready as ever," Hana replied, taking out a spoonful of colcannon to eat. The others stared at her.

"I am driving," Mako said the obvious. Miho smiled at everyone's mood.

"Let's go," Miho commanded. "Let's go up north, and see what we can do next."

"OK!" everybody else affirmed.

However, behind Miho's seat, the factory station that they tried to activate (but failed to) began to twitch, then started to activate. It began using its arms to create something . . .

* * *

 **Already, it's done! Yay! This was my way of celebrating St. Patrick's Day. This might be one of my fastest updates ever! This chapter alone took me yesterday to finish, then today to revise and edit. I hope the quality was worth it! In the meantime, panzer vor!**

 **Oba-san: grandmother**

 **Moshi-moshi: Japanese way of saying "hello" on the phone**


	8. Chapter 7 and Half

**Chapter 7.5: NEW UPDATE!**

 **March 29, 2017**

 **9:30PM Wednesday, Eastern Standard Time**

 **At my house using Ethernet . . .**

 **(my house's wifi is down, and cable Internet is the only one that works, but it does not work all the time . . .)**

Greetings! This is an update, not a real chapter! The next chapter will replace this outright. If you are wondering, I was working on a potentially cool fanfic with 98, another fanfic writer on this same site! We ended up with a potential Girls und Panzer fanfic that might be so cool! I hope that our efforts will pay off big time! Check it out in a few days; it should be up there!

 **1 ) Do not review on this "chapter"! I will delete this page, once I upload Chapter 8!**

2 ) Instead, review on the previous chapters, or **directly PM** me for what you want me to include in the next chapters. I am currently working on the girls wearing their **"battle suits"** made by the mini-factory of their tank! It should be cool! And they will experience a variety of cultures in Northern Virginia, such as Korean-Americans and Hispanics there!

3 ) Chapter 8 will feature their first encounter with a "Man in Black." And the radio system will show more to come . . .

Thank you for your patience, and I hope that the future will be bright!

 **In the meantime, good luck and panzer vor!**


	9. This Story is No More

**OK, so it's been so long. Sorry that I have not put up this for a long, LONG time. But I am saying this:**

 **Girls und Odyssey**

 **IS**

 **NO**

 **MORE.**

 **June 17, 2017**

 **9:04 PM Saturday, Eastern Standard Time**

 **At my house using Ethernet . . .**

Greetings! This is not a real chapter, or even an update. It's a saying that this story is farewell. Why?

 **1 ) I stated in the last post that I am putting up Chapter 8. However, talking with friends on FanFiction, and as I practiced writing, I realize that the science fiction genre is not my specialty. So, there is no Chapter 8.**

2 ) Instead, I found myself enjoying **fantasy** , a genre that is often distinct from science fiction. In fact, I am working on my latest project: " **Welcome to America, GuP**." This story turned out to be more popular, and in my opinion better-written, than this story.

3 ) However, the good news is that some elements of this story will come into my current project. The concepts of "Man in Black" and "the Corporation" are in my latest story; this time, the Corporation is a powerful company that is harnessing something called "interference," and the GuP girls have it!

So, in retrospect, each story I attempted to write was a learning experience, and I learn to grow up as a writer. **It is with sadness but also determination that I am not going to do this story anymore.**

However, **if anyone is interested in this story, or reusing elements of this story, you all are more than welcome to do so**. I officially release my copyright claims on all story elements, **except** for the Corporation, because I am including that in my current story. Man in Black? That is obviously used a lot before.

Thank you for your patience, and I hope that the future will be bright, and brighter still!

 **In the meantime, good luck and panzer vor!**


End file.
